On August 22, 2018, MFCS Saegertown was awarded the General Motors 2017 Supplier Quality Excellence Award. This is the first time the Saegertown plant has received this honor. During the presentation, the GM Supplier Quality Engineer discussed the strict criteria and difficult requirements which suppliers must meet to be considered for the award. Very few GM suppliers achieve this level of quality.
The Supplier Quality Award is a critical milestone for Saegertown. It marks a shift in our business. We are more than mine bits and couplings. Saegertown has transformed into a leading supplier of Gear Pinion Blanks to support the new transmission programs. The “Lean” manufacturing culture change has been instrumental in helping guide our plant improvements. Lean Basic was the first step, and the plant put those teachings to use during pre-production kaizen, the cardboard engineering phase, equipment runoffs and installations, and now during daily production. The “Lean” Journey is not complete, and we continue to improve even in small ways every day.
The GM Supplier Quality Engineer made a special effort to introduce herself to all plant associates and gave everyone a hand shake and a sincere “Thank You.” Anyone can run one good part, however, maintaining a quality standard that is measured in parts per billion is truly impressive. Every department has touched this value stream. The methods used in the past are not the same standards used today. Customer expectations are higher than ever and good is not good enough.
The entire Saegertown team is pushing to get better, and be better at everything they do. Every job is important and everyone contributes. People make the difference. MFCS Saegertown is thankful for this recognition and is working toward a repeat in 2018.
“Good suppliers make my job easier, and Saegertown is a good supplier.”
GM Supplier Quality Engineer