Alliance Rubber Company Receives ISO Quality Certification

Alliance Rubber Company, Hot Springs, Ark., recently received International Standards Organization (ISO) 9001:2008 certification, which addresses various aspects of quality management. The standards provide guidance and tools to ensure products and services consistently meet customer’s requirements, and that quality consistently is improved.

The ISO 9001:2008 certification, with a design and development exclusion, is an internationally recognized statement on the quality of the company’s work and products.

“As one of the leading manufacturers for rubber bands across the world, it is imperative for Alliance to remain at the forefront of the industry,” said Amy Williams, ISO coordinator at Alliance Rubber Company. “In achieving ISO 9001:2008 certification, we will continue offering high-quality products to clients, as well as expanding into new markets. This achievement is an allegiance to our customers and our business, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to a strong culture of quality.”

In order to obtain certification, a third-party registrar thoroughly evaluated the effectiveness of Alliance Rubber Company’s internal quality management system, validating compliance to the concepts and requirements of the standards.

The ISO standards provide a company with strategic tools to reduce costs by minimizing waste and errors, while optimizing resources and improving processes. Alliance Rubber Company, which produces and sells 18 million pounds of rubber bands each year in 55 countries across the world, recently purchased and integrated a new salt cure line and precision control system. In addition, the company's IT department recently upgraded software to add features and enhance usage during implementation of the management system.

"Alliance Rubber Company fully embraced the concepts and requirements, which are imposed by the ISO 9001:2008 standard,” said Steve Saunders, founder of Saunders Consulting Services, which helped Alliance Rubber Company with audit training. “Through training and an in-depth review of internal processes during the implementation phase, everyone at Alliance became involved with the cultural changes needed to become an ISO 9001:2008 certified organization. The end result is a world-class quality system that will help foster continuous improvements for years to come."

For more information on Alliance Rubber Company, visit www.rubberband.com.