Fuquay-Varina, NC – Southbend, a global leader in heavy-duty, commercial cooking equipment, recently achieved their ISO 9001:2008 registration which is an internationally recognized Quality Management System. Southbend is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Middleby Corporation and has over 100 years’ experience making top-quality and innovative products using the latest cooking technology. With the achievement of ISO 9001:2008, Southbend will be able to grow its global footprint and increase efficiencies in its worldwide sales.
“We are very excited to achieve this goal,” says Dale Price, Vice President of Engineering for Southbend. “It was a two-year commitment, but we knew that if we wanted to expand our international presence and expedite our sales, we needed to achieve this quality standard.”
With direction and guidance from NC State Industry Expansion Solutions (IES), an aggressive implementation timeline was possible. After less than 24 months from project kick-off to final audit and registration, Southbend was able to implement all requirements of the ISO 9001:2008 quality management system.
“We chose to work with IES because they had the knowledge, expertise and success record we needed,” adds Price. “We wanted to partner with someone who would be able to complete the entire journey with us, and then continue to work with us as we look ahead to implementing new requirements for ISO 9001:2015.”
Price worked with a team of eight employees to develop new policies and procedures for the quality management system. They met with the entire group of employees, on a monthly basis, to update them on new processes, work instructions and documentation. There were numerous third-party audits the company had to pass along the way that resulted in additional tweaks and improvements. All employees have been trained on and fully embrace the quality objectives and processes for their work area.
“We’re proud of the commitment we made to quality,” says Price. “And we’re already seeing a difference in our productivity, our warranty and repair activity, and our delivery time for overseas orders. We also expect to see sales growth in the near future.”
About ISO
ISO is an independent organization that develops national quality management standards and world-class specifications for products, services and systems, to ensure quality, safety and efficiency. The ISO 9000 family addresses various aspects of quality management and contains standards that provide companies with guidance and tools to ensure their products and services consistently meet customer’s requirements, and that quality is consistently improved. More and more often, customers require that their suppliers be certified to one or more ISO standards, and certification is frequently required for government contracts and international export.
About Southbend
Southbend, a division of Middleby Corporation, is recognized as a global leader in heavy-duty commercial cooking equipment. With perpetual new equipment innovations in the areas of energy savings, cooking speed, automation and safety, Southbend products are considered the best in the industry by chefs, consultants and industry experts. The company operates a manufacturing facility in Fuquay-Varina with 180 employees. For more information on the company, visit www.southbendnc.com.
About IES
Industry Expansion Solutions (IES) is the engineering-based, solutions-driven, client-focused extension unit of NC State’s College of Engineering. Our broad portfolio and deep industry expertise help organizations grow, innovate and prosper. Our extensive partnerships with business, industry, education and government generate a unique culture of collaboration that provides access to cutting-edge expertise, research, and technology. www.ies.ncsu.edu
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