One cold December morning at Carolina Narrow Fabric Company in Winston-Salem, Joe Cashion, quality control manager, opened the mail to find, at last, the certificate stating the company was officially ISO 9000 registered. Thirty minutes later, the phone rang and a major client wanted to know if Carolina Narrow had become ISO 9000 registered – or they would have to take their business elsewhere. Cashion faxed a copy of the new certificate to them and at least $2 million in annual sales were saved.
“Perfect timing,” Cashion said. The Industrial Extension Service of North Carolina State University assisted in this achievement and recently presented the company with a banner in recognition of their hard work and success.
In an industry devastated by global competition and factory closings, this is one textile company that has managed to survive. Carolina Narrow Fabric Company serves a niche market, providing narrow fabrics mostly for the medical industry. Since 1929, the company has made insulating tapes for the electrical motor industry, for the automotive and aircraft industry, and fabric for composite fabricators for use in unique reinforcing and sealing applications.
Times have been tough. The number of employees has dropped from 250 in 2000 to 138 today. “It has been nip and tuck,” Cashion said.
Then in 2003, the company was told by their second-largest customer they must become ISO 9000 registered by 2005 – or else. As Cashion noted, they really didn’t have a choice. ISO registration demonstrates that a company has reached an internationally recognized standard of quality. Those quality steps have to be documented and implemented according to strict standards.
Cashion and other employees from Carolina Narrow signed up for the ISO 9000 Technical Assistance Program taught by IES specialist Phil Mintz for eight sessions in Greensboro. Two additional sessions were held on-site. And more than once, Cashion called on Mintz for additional help. Mintz conducted a pre-audit, a trial run before the true audit.
Cashion said going for the ISO was difficult and challenging. A company in business as long as Carolina Narrow has developed ways of working through the years that makes changes required by ISO difficult. But it was a matter of survival and the employees understood that.
