Air Squared’s Aim To Become ISO 14001 Certified With Qualtrax
By on February 1, 2019
One of the best parts about Qualtrax is the chance to get to know individuals in quality management, and build lasting professional relationships with them. Chris Wells was a long-time user of Qualtrax when he became the Quality Manager for Air Squared, and he used his knowledge of our systems and our team to bring us into the Air Squared family.
Air Squared designs and manufactures oil-free scroll compressor models for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) applications. Simply put, they design and build air and refrigerant compressors, which are then bought by manufacturing companies as component parts.
Because their products are used in everything from refrigeration models to medical devices to aerospace transportation, ISO certification and efficiency in manufacturing are of the utmost importance. For example, they’re currently developing multiple products for NASA, such as refrigeration solutions for space travel and the Martian Atmosphere Scroll Compressor (MASC). These products in particular must be able to survive the harsh conditions of outer space, including long-term functionality without requiring constant maintenance; further, as one part within a greater system, they must be able to work with other pieces. And, of course, maintaining their credibility for their customer– in this case, NASA: one of the top names in aerospace engineering and space exploration–is important, too.
So when Chris Wells joined Air Squared as their Quality Manager, he knew that updating their system to match their compliance standards was a necessity. “Prior to Qualtrax, everything we had in the GMS system was just in a shared drive. There was no document control, little security, and no workflow. So we needed to get something in quick,” he explained.
Chris’s previous workplaces had used Qualtrax, to great success, so after a difficult audit with a medical customer, he decided it was time to implement a new solution. “Part of purchasing Qualtrax was because we’re working towards becoming ISO 14001 certified,” Chris said. ISO 14001 is an industry standard, and larger clients of Air Squared expect them to be certified. “Qualtrax is definitely helping us feel prepared for our certification assessment.”
One of the most powerful ways in which Air Squared has adopted Qualtrax was automating processes and eliminating paper. Prior to Qualtrax, everything at Air Squared was handled in paper forms. For time-off requests, for example, “you would fill out a form, hand-deliver it your manager–who would take a few days to process it themselves–then the manager would hand-deliver the form to HR,” Chris explained. “That was actually the first workflow I built, so people could see how Qualtrax worked.” By automating this process, Air Squared was able to eliminate enormous paper waste, reduce chances of lost or mishandled forms, and save hours of time previously spent chasing down employees, managers, and HR personnel.
Qualtrax is not yet 100% implemented at Air Squared, but Chris estimates that “we’re very easily eliminating 2-3 hours a day” in just time spent managing paper forms. Now, employees can focus that time spent back into inventing & building & transforming the possibilities of medical devices and space habitation.
For Chris, another benefit to Qualtrax is its ability to adapt to each individual user’s needs, even when remote. “We’ve been able to cater the entire process to what I actually need,” he said, “instead of rehashing what I already know. They cater trainings to my higher level of experience, and host one-on-one sessions with folks to get them caught up.”
Because of that, Chris also really appreciates how Qualtrax staff teaches him how to fix issues and problems within the system. “Earlier this week, we had an issue with a workflow. Ironically, there was a box I didn’t check, and whether or not the technician knew that was the issue when we started (I’d bet he did), he walked me through the process so I’d know what to do next time,” Chris said. It’s not only about support, but about educating Qualtrax users so they can have agency and independence when building, implementing, and managing their systems. For Chris, this means they can be certain their compliance management systems are running smoothly, which helps them achieve and maintain their ISO certification, and ensures their products can do their best work.
Qualtrax was Chris’s first pick for a compliance management solution because of his history working with our products. “I’ve always been a big supporter of Qualtrax,” he shared. “They’ve made my life easier.” And as we’ve helped Chris, Chris can ensure the products of Air Squared are making the others’ lives easier as well.
Category: Manufacturing
