ebm-papst Fans, Blowers and Technology

By Jack Derewonko - Quality Systems Manager

Above and beyond statutory and regulatory standards, ISO 9000 certification is designed to help organizations ensure they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders related to their products or services. Over a million organizations worldwide are independently certified, making ISO 9001 one of the most widely used quality management tools in the world today.

At ebm-papst, the ISO 9001 quality system is used to design and manufacture quality products of the highest degree. Thebenefits of ISO 9001 are far reaching and impact all areas of our company.  A consistent approach to meeting customer requirements, improving all aspects of product performance and reducing the defect rate ensure operation savings. 

To achieve ISO 9001 certification, a company is required to fully document a quality control program and follow the procedures it writes.  This does not mean the products are certified to ISO 9001 but the quality system is certified.  The ISO 9001 quality system at ebm-papst reduces operational costs and improves customer satisfaction. 

• Increased marketability – customers recognize ISO 9001 certification as an important factor when selecting suppliers.  

• Product performance – ebm-papst’s customers expect our products to perform at the highest levels.  We achieve this goal with solid designs and well documented quality control programs.

• Reducing operational expense – quality programs like corrective action, internal audits, and continual improvement reduce defect rates and improve the efficiency of our production lines.

• Increase customer satisfaction – high quality products help to meet customer expectations which leads to satisfied customers.

• Improved internal communication – Some of the ISO 9001 requirements focus on self-assessment.  This helps ebm-papst employees understand the interaction between departments.  We have a focus on internal customers so process controls are established.

• Improved supplier relations – ebm-papst suppliers play an important role in product quality.  We have systems like supplier audits and performance measurements to improve and manage our supplier base.  

Without proper planning and training, there can be disadvantages of an ISO 9001 quality system.  Excessive documentation can lead to control issues and loss of important data.  Too few records will leave you without evidence of compliance. At ebm-papst, we are striving for a paperless system which will save time, improve quality, and lower our impact on the environment.

About Jack Derewonko
Quality is part of the ebm-papst Inc. DNA; Jack Derewonko oversees the processes that keep it that way. As Quality Systems Manager, Jack applies his 13 years of expertise in managing the company’s ISO9001 and IS014001 systems. He also oversees the company’s quality control department, ensuring that return material authorizations, credits, calibration work and corrective actions are properly handled and documented. Jack received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and materials science with a minor in English from the University of Connecticut. Outside of work, he enjoys fishing, photography, mountain biking, skiing and golf.

By Bob Sobolewski - President and CEO at ebm-papst Inc.

“There are only three ways that a country builds wealth – you make things, you mine things and you grow things. Everything else is ancillary to that.”
– Pat Lee, Fabricators & Manufacturers Association

U.S. manufacturers contributed $2.08 trillion to the economy in 2013. For each dollar spent in manufacturing, another $1.32 is added to our economy, the highest multiplier effect of any economic sector. (National Association of Manufacturers).

Here in Connecticut, 4,826 companies employ 167,900 manufacturing workers who earned $12.4 billion in wages and salaries last year. Every $1 million in manufacturing output in our state translates to $2 million in sales in other industries, 8.3 new jobs and $700,000 in new personal income (CBIA).

With a resurgence of manufacturing in the U.S. — including companies that are insourcing jobs and facilities — you’d think we’d be riding high with no complaints.

Not yet.

National Metal Fabricators President Tom Bonine lists seven of manufacturing’s biggest challenges. To strengthen companies that make quality products and pay good wages, the National Association of Manufacturers urges our elected leaders to choose policies that make this country a better place to invest, a better place to innovate and a better place from which to export.

Having managed growth at ebm-papst Inc. for nearly three decades, I share the views of my fellow Connecticut manufacturers. Federal and state regulation, taxes, reduced demand, raw material prices, overhead costs and competition keep us up at night.

My view? There’s no production without education. As highly experienced employees begin to retire, I worry about preparing new generations for careers within our advanced manufacturing facilities. 

There are solutions we should support, including innovation and training hubs nationally and locally. The National Network of Manufacturing Institutes has four of their 45 projected hubs up and running in in Youngstown Ohio (additive manufacturing), Chicago (digital manufacturing and design), Detroit (lightweight metals, and Raleigh, North Carolina (power electronics).

Here in Connecticut, three manufacturing centers offer a certificate in advanced manufacturing machine technology, while Connecticut’s colleges and universities offer some of the most competitive engineering programs in the country. 

Our most important challenge? Convincing more than half of U.S. teenagers that their perceptions of manufacturing are false. What this means is that promoting manufacturing careers to high school kids isn’t enough. We have to start much earlier.

Is your company struggling to find qualified and enthusiastic people to help you innovate? Partner with your region’s engineering programs, technical training programs and centers. But also go deeper by supporting programs that help our young children embrace the excitement, fun and challenge of inventing and building things.

About Bob Sobolewski
Robert (Bob) Sobolewski is President and CEO of ebm-papst Inc. A member of many community and industry trade organizations and associations, Bob has been recognized for his support of educational programs, especially those that bring schools and the workplace closer together. He serves as President and Chairman of ingenuityNE and NE FIRST, Chair of the Connecticut Executive Advisory Board of FIRST, a member of the Fairfield University School of Engineering Executive Advisory Board, Vice Chair of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association Board, a Director of Okay Industries, Inc., and a member of the Board of Directors of the Electronic Component Industry Association (ECIA) Foundation.