Specialty Cable Manufacturer's Dedication to Quality Secures AS9100 Recertification

Specialty Cable Corporation (SCC), headquartered in Wallingford, Connecticut, is a leading manufacturer and supplier of high-performance electrical wire and cable products for various industrial applications. These include precise temperature control, critical patient monitoring and testing equipment, demanding military and aerospace systems (meeting military specifications for in-flight use), and general industrial needs.

Celebrating 100 years in business, the company traces its origins to Lewis Engineering Company, founded in 1925 to produce specialty wire and cable products for instrumentation. Lewis later established SCC in 1942 as one of its divisions.

SCC's ongoing success and growth depend on its foundations of innovation and the ability to produce products that meet the most exacting specifications for critical applications.

They hold certifications in ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D, showing they uphold the highest standards of quality and customer satisfaction and meet additional requirements for the aerospace and defense industry.

The company runs its operations from a 65,000-square-foot facility, with 62 employees working across the organization.

As part of the company's commitment to its customers and the continuous improvement of its Quality Management System (QMS), SCC needed to conduct its annual Internal Quality Audit (IQA) in preparation for its AS9100D certification audit

Maintaining AS9100D certification helps organizations improve quality, streamline processes, and build credibility with customers and regulators.

SCC hired an external auditor to conduct its IQA, ensuring its QMS aligned with the aerospace sector's rigorous quality and safety standards. Company leadership recognized that evaluating internal control processes was essential for both internal improvement and future client expansion.

SCC partnered with CONNSTEP, the Connecticut MEP, and part of the MEP National Network^TM, leveraging their expertise and unbiased guidance to support its IQA requirements for the 2024 audit cycle. This expanded on their extensive prior collaborations, including IQAs, employee participation in continuous improvement, and supervisory workshops.

A CONNSTEP third-party auditor performed the IQA and helped prepare SCC for the successful completion of its certification audit. The audit evaluated the organization's QMS effectiveness and provided feedback to company leadership regarding its QMS implementation.

The IQA lasted six days and covered the following areas of SCC's operations: sales, purchasing, product realization-manufacturing, QMS administration, and leadership processes.

SCC's 2024 IQA auditor found that company management "ensures all necessary resources are available to support full implementation and success of the QMS," and "appears to be adequately involved in enhancing customer satisfaction, including involvement in the periodic review of service conformity and on-time delivery of services." The auditor also stated, "Top management is committed to ensuring appropriate action is taken if planned results are not, or will not be achieved."

While the auditor observed and identified opportunities for improvement, they stated that "SCC has determined appropriate opportunities for improvement and has implemented necessary actions to meet customer requirements and enhance customer satisfaction," adding that the company concentrates on "correcting, preventing, and reducing undesired effects as well as improving the performance and effectiveness of the QMS." After receiving the IQA report, SCC management promptly took corrective actions to address the areas for improvement.

Following the IQA, SCC achieved successful AS9100D recertification from the certification body.

CONNSTEP's work with SCC resulted in the following metrics for the company:

• Retained sales: $5,000,000
• Increased investments: $10,000
• Unnecessary investments avoided: $30,000
• Jobs retained: 10