The Siemon Company Earns ISO Certification with Datastream

With almost 100 years of experience and more than 300 active patents, The Siemon Company is a leading developer and manufacturer of high performance telecommunications cabling systems, metal stamping, and plastic injection molding. Siemon has clients in a wide range of industries, such as education, healthcare, finance, and government.

Headquartered in Watertown, Connecticut, Siemon has offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Great Britain, Mexico, and Singapore, which help Siemons realize its global commitment to value-added innovation.

The Challenge
As the telecommunications industry becomes an increasingly competitive global market, The Siemon Company faces the challenge of maintaining standards established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO facilitates international commerce through industry-wide standards that serve as guidelines for fair commerce opportunity and environmental issues.

ISO-certified companies enjoy cost reduction, efficient distribution, and global product adaptability. The Siemon Company maintains both ISO 9001 and 9002 certifications, a recognition of their commitment to quality. Siemon is also ISO 14001 certified, reflecting their ongoing environmental improvement. 

"For Siemons to succeed in the European market, ISO certification is critical," said Assistant Plant Engineer Jeff Dupaul. "Many companies require vendors to be ISO certified, so the cost of not receiving certification is tremendous. If a potential customer is considering our product versus a competitor's, the third-party endorsement of ISO can be the deciding factor. Our biggest challenge is to maintain ISO standards year-round."

The Solution
"Not only does Datastream software help us maintain ISO certification, but it also makes the auditing process incredibly quick and easy," Dupaul says. "When the auditors see how efficient our maintenance department is, they shake their heads in amazement. They're very impressed by Datastream's detailed reports. Datastream's asset management solution is extremely comprehensive—but it's not hard to manage."

For The Siemon Company, ISO certification is more than an industry stamp of approval. The challenge of meeting ISO's rigorous standards increases Siemon's internal quality awareness.

"We run extensive internal assessments," explains Dupaul. "We track and analyze maintenance history, as well as schedule preventive maintenance, to ensure that we perform within the scope of our expectations. Datastream software provides a specific asset numbering system to record the information."

The Siemon Company also uses Datastream's touch-screen technology maintenance solution that operates via small, inexpensive Windows CE palmtop computers. Using the handheld devices, Dupaul's staff captures important data with the touch of a screen and downloads work assignments in the field.

"Although we retain a certain amount of hard copies for our records, Datastream handheld technology has really helped eliminate a lot of unnecessary paperwork," says Dupaul. "It makes for very flexible communication, and it provides immediate access to work order information."

The Results
"Datastream software provides tangible numbers for labor, equipment, and cost and gives me an honest, well-documented account of how we're doing. It's an extremely valuable tool," Dupaul says. "Regardless of the size of the task—even if it's just taking out the trash—it's documented. This increases our accountability and saves us time and money."

This type of thorough documentation allowed Dupaul to expand his workforce. Dupaul saw a need for additional personnel, but upper management required proof. Using their backlog records in Datastream software, Dupaul discovered a 460-hour backlog for corrective maintenance work orders and a 300-hour backlog for preventative maintenance work orders—a total of 760 hours. Management was impressed, and Dupaul received approval to hire two new maintenance mechanics.

Recently, The Siemon Company's maintenance department received the prestigious "Precision Metalforming Association's Award of Excellence for Environmental Improvements." The company also received the "William O. Jeffrey III IRMCO Environmental Improvement Award" and a $2,000 cash prize.

"Sure, ISO certification is a meticulous process, yet with Datastream software, we don't panic about meeting the criteria," says Dupaul. "The software helps us focus on day-in-day-out excellence—and if we hold to that standard, there's no reason why we shouldn't maintain our certification. Datastream helps us operate as an ISO-certified company around the clock."