Based in Bloomfield, New Jersey, Minor Rubber is a third-generation family-owned manufacturer that utilizes more efficient manufacturing technologies and advanced rubber compounds, allowing it to remain on the leading edge of the market. Minor Rubber products can be found in many products across a wide range of industries, including defense, aerospace, electronics, transportation, healthcare, food processing, construction, and more.
With the onset of Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0—a complex and rigorous process that determines how securely your organization creates, handles, and disseminates Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)—there’s a chance that, without meeting these new compliance standards set forth by the Department of Defense, suppliers can lose out on lucrative government contract work. Josh Gordon, CFO of Minor Rubber, also says that it was just the perfect time to adopt this new cybersecurity standard. Minor Rubber, by chance, happened to get an email regarding one of NJMEP’s no-cost webinars where cybersecurity experts would be discussing the latest changes to CMMC.
We’re looking to expand the product lines that we have, we’re starting to do some value-added services. Part of the LEAN project we did with [NJMEP], was the revamp of our whole shipping and receiving area, and we were able to invest in new technology—a counting machine that bags and prints on the bags. So, we’re now offering that as a service to customers, offering this service to customers in a standardized fashion at minimal cost. We’re also starting to do some light assembly work as well. I one hundred percent recommend NJMEP to other manufacturers. We want to be able to use these resources [like NJMEP] to educate ourselves so that we can be a better organization.
CMMC is not an easy certification to achieve without the right support and a partner like NJMEP, part of the MEP National Network™. However, with the right team, a manufacturer will be guided through every individual requirement to ensure compliance and audit readiness will be reached as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“As daunting as a task as it is to go through and put these plans in place,” says Gordon, “It’s beneficial for ANY organization, just the protections that you can put in place to keep yourselves protected at the digital level. It’s a no-brainer.”
NJMEP’s Cyber Experts have decades-worth of experience in navigating Cybersecurity compliance, and the collaboration between Minor Rubber and NJMEP began with a Cybersecurity Assessment, based on Cyber Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0, which incorporates FAR 52.204-21, NIST SP 800-171 rev 1 and NIST SP 800-172. NJMEP’s expert resource assessed CMMC 2.0 Levels 1-2, which, once achieved, demonstrates good cyber hygiene and effective implementation of controls that meet the security requirements of FAR 52.204-21 and NIST SP 800-171 rev 1.