South Bend, IN — Imagineering Finishing Technologies (IFT), the worldwide KnowledgeSource? for automotive engineers and manufacturers requiring surface finishing and non-destructive testing, is pleased to announce upgraded and expanded quality accreditations to better serve the automotive industry. IFT has been an accredited QS-9000 supplier since 1997 and recently completed upgrade audits conducted by the Performance Review Institute (PRI) for its ISO 9001:2000 International Quality Standards, ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems Certification, AS9100 Aerospace and Military designation and Nadcap accredited supplier for Chemical Processing and Nondestructive Testing.

IFT CONTINUES QUALITY LEADERSHIP POSITION IN THE FINISHING INDUSTRY

IFT performs coating, plating and testing operations, and process application consulting for a wide range of substrates in industries such as automotive, computer, medical, heavy equipment, agriculture, military and aerospace. IFT is one of the few metal finishing companies worldwide to achieve QS-9000, ISO 9001:2000 and AS9100 quality program certifications, in addition to attaining ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Certification, and the newest international Nadcap Chemical Processing and NDT (PT/MT) accreditation.

President and CEO of Imagineering Finishing Technologies, F. James Hammer, recently commented on the IFT team dedication to continuously maintaining and upgrading certifications—unique to many surface finishing and non-destructive testing firms. “We pride ourselves in being the industry leader in quality and maintaining the highest standards and certifications in our industry. Because we are a tertiary vendor to automotive, we aren’t required to carry QS-9000, but our commitment to excellence drives us to maintain our QS-9000 certification along with our ISO 9001:2000 status and other industry accreditations.”

He went on to say that, “We have also recognized the growing importance of our internal environmental responsibility when doing business with the automotive industry and have maintained ISO 14001 certification as an environmentally sound supplier since 2000. This measure requires us to meet stringent environmental standards. We have an obligation to our customer to run our business in a manner that exceeds the highest possible quality standards.” Hammer added, that although IFT’s new AS9100 and Nadcap for Chem Processing certifications are primarily for aerospace and military contract work, these standards benefit automotive customers as well. “We attribute these accomplishments directly to our management and production teams and the extensive TQM training that has become a quality mindset in both the specialized and traditional coating processes we offer.”

Randy Miller, IFT Chief Operating Officer, elaborated on the effort of the IFT management and production team in achieving these difficult accreditations and certifications, and the hard work, dedication and commitment of the team to providing the highest level of service and confidence to its customer base. “There are relatively few, if any, metal finishing firms worldwide that have QS-9000 for automotive, ISO 9001:2000 International Quality Standards, ISO 14001 for environmental, the newest international Nadcap accreditations and AS9100 for aerospace and defense clients. The reason for this is that not only are these certifications difficult to attain, but typically

an organization focuses on only one or two industries. We clearly understand that our customers compete in a rapidly expanding, dynamic and competitive global economy and their success is dependent upon our performance. For this reason, we seek and retain top management and production personnel who have the drive and know-how to relentlessly exceed our customers demanding needs of unconditional quality, timely delivery and competitive pricing.”

These diversified accreditations provide IFT with quality roadmaps that enable them to better serve a wide spectrum of customers. Miller explained, “Excelling at what we do and providing ultra-high customer service enables our customers to compete successfully and emerge as leaders in their respective industries in the competitive global environment.”

Quality Manager for IFT, Scott Singer, added, “Each year, we are subject to detailed audits of our quality policy, quality system improvements and our level of compliance. In December 2003 and January 2004, we completed our most recent audits which included upgrades of our International Quality Standard from ISO 9002, originally achieved in 1997, to the new ISO 9001:2000 standard. We also upgraded our Aerospace and Defense AS9000 certification, originally achieved in 2000, to the new AS9100 standard.” He concluded, “To capture a leading role in the industry, we’ve gone after the most stringent requirements and have earned our accreditations.”

For more information about the new Imagineering Finishing Technologies (IFT), write: Imagineering Finishing Technologies, Sales and Public Relations, 1302 W. Sample St., South Bend, IN 46619; Phone 1-800-207-2516, Fax 574-287-2970; E-mail info@iftworldwide.com, or check out IFT on the web at www.iftworldwide.com.

Press Information
Media Contact: Ron Barger
Phone: (269) 687-9128
E-mail: ronbarger@earthlink.net