Our process for assuring product quality is integrated into our manufacturing management and production methods, and complies with ISO 9001:2000. A copy of the UTI Quality Manual can be provided overnight upon request.

Initial quality planning plays a very important role in our product quality assurance process. At the onset of each job, each part or assembly is assigned to a manufacturing team for study and planning with respect to material requirements, manufacturing steps and processes, special processes and procedures required, and quality assurance provisions. When the process to manufacture the item has been determined, a study is made of the points in the process where quality assurance checks will be necessary. Particular attention is made to design quality into the process, with emphasis on using statistical process control (SPC) to assure product quality rather than inspecting quality in. The process steps and particular quality assurance requirements are documented in the Manufacturing Traveler, which is subsequently used to manufacture the item.

Whenever a manufactured item requires specific written procedures or tests, the manager of the department to be doing the work is responsible for preparing the procedures required. All manufacturing documentation, including the manufacturing traveler and any procedures developed is approved by the department manager, the Quality Assurance Manager, and if applicable, the customer. The manufacturing team is responsible for seeing to it that the procedures are followed, with an audit by the Quality Assurance department.

The QA department determines whether Manufacturing control is accomplished by assuring that the quality plan is followed, adequately trained personnel are performing the processes and the equipment being used is adequate and in good repair. With special processes, where the specific attribute of quality cannot be measured directly on the processed item, manufacturing control is accomplished by qualifying the process itself, and following the procedure to maintain the qualified process.

Assurance of having followed the prescribed process of manufacture is accomplished by means of the manufacturing traveler. Each step in the manufacturing process and each quality assurance requirement is signed off on the traveler as it is performed. Where raw materials are used for the manufactured item, the lot number is recorded on the manufacturing traveler, and when inspection by a company representative is required, the appropriate stamp or signature is applied.

The manufacturing traveler accompanies the lot of items being manufactured through all of the processes accomplished, and is returned to the QA department when final inspection of the item is complete.

Where specific certification of a process operator is required, such as for welding, the certification requirements are noted on the traveler. Each production supervisor is responsible for seeing to it that only properly trained, certified operators perform operations requiring certification, and that adequately trained personnel are used for those tasks which require special skills. Each department manager is responsible for preparing training programs for the processes used in his department, and for seeing to it that the training program is followed and documented. Training and certification of special process operators is coordinated through the Quality Assurance Department.

The Quality Assurance Department performs routine audits to assure the adherence of all departments to the prescribed processes and procedures for manufacture. Where an audit shows a deficiency in performance or policy, the deficiency will be documented and the applicable department manager will be responsible for performing and documenting corrective action.