American Power Systems (APS), a leading supplier of DC-power solutions, partnered with CIRAS to achieve ISO 9001:2015 certification for its quality management system. The Davenport, Iowa-based company pursued this internationally recognized standard to demonstrate its commitment to quality, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
The rigorous certification process included on-site audits and extensive reviews of policies and documentation. This ensures that APS has well-defined procedures for production, supply chain management, engineering, quality, risk management, and customer service.
“ISO certification has long been a goal of mine,” said Amy Lank, president and CEO of APS. “It demonstrates our commitment to exceeding customer expectations and fostering a culture of quality improvement, which helps companies stand out. But when we researched it, the process appeared daunting and expensive.”
In October 2023, APS reached out to CIRAS for support. “CIRAS has been a great resource,” said Lank. “It’s very economical and a quick, easy way to find the right expertise that has already been vetted.”
quality systems that keep your
power systems moving.
After collaborating with several members of the CIRAS team, CIRAS project manager Ben Drescher and Northstar Quality president John Moorhouse developed a certification plan tailored to fit APS’s business needs. At the beginning of the project, Moorhouse helped employees engage with the process by breaking it down into simple steps and explaining the ISO standard in plain language.
Over the next eight months, APS interviewed employees, conducted a gap analysis, identified actions needed for compliance, and performed an internal audit, which was followed by a registrar audit.
“Northstar Quality made it easy for us to understand what we needed to do for certification,” said Lank. “The process was very straightforward and painless. They explained that many necessary policies and procedures were already in place—we just needed to tighten things up. They helped us identify formats required by ISO and provided templates.”
The initiative has been well received by both employees and customers. “It gives more ownership to employees, who take enormous pride in their work,” said Lank. “And the reaction from our customers has been fantastic. A few have adopted policies mandating ISO certification, so we are ready proactively. And it helped us attract new clients. It really levels us up as a vendor.”
Certification has helped APS increase efficiency, improve product and service quality, and enhance customer satisfaction. “I couldn’t be more satisfied working with CIRAS and Northstar Quality,” said Lank. “Their goal is to help companies like ours build and grow, and they succeeded. We are very grateful for the resource.”
Contact Ben Drescher at bdresche@iastate.edu to learn more.