Quality Assurance Update: January 1999

As we enter 1999, the final year before the "Year 2000", we are increasingly aware of the potential changes it could bring. We have examined all internal systems and have made the necessary upgrades and replacements to usher in the new year with no interruptions in business. We have also surveyed our external suppliers for compliance and foresee no problems there.

On the Quality forefront is our continued commitment to improving our systems. With that in mind, Cal-Tron Corporation is focusing our energy and resources on updating our Quality and SPC systems to bring them up to ISO9000 standards, although we do not plan to be registered.

In keeping with this commitment, we purchased and instituted a new SPC software program. We examined many programs, looking at their appropriateness to plastic injection molding and the "job shop" nature of our business. Lyle Kearsley’s SPC program came to us highly recommended and after a thorough examination of the program, we felt it was the best suited for us. It has opened new avenues for the best use of SPC and expanded our ability to utilize the data we receive.

Cal-Tron has entered into the ever changing and expanding world of the internet through our new web page at www.caltroncorp.com. Of course one new thing leads to another and we redesigned our brochure to coincide with the web page. We are very excited about these new marketing tools and looking forward to the opportunities they will bring.

Some of our existing customers have added a Supplier Rating program to their Quality systems. We have a 100% rating with Shurflo, a producer of specialized pumps for many types of industries, who has been rating us for over a year. McKechnie Vehicle Components, an injection molder in their own right, started their program in January, 1998. We have molded over 5,500,000 glass filled nylon threaded lug nuts for them and have a 100% rating.

We have received our Certified Supplier status from Lockheed Martin, located in Orlando, Florida. As mentioned in our January, 1998 Quality Assurance Update, we were selected as one of only five plastic injection molders to participate in a new program for them. Of the five, only three chose to continue with the bidding process. Cal-Tron Corporation was awarded 50% of the parts in the program! This is a long term commitment between Lockheed and Cal-Tron and we look forward to working with them in the years to come.

In addition, we have been recertified with GenCorp Aerojet for the sixth year in a row and Hughes Missile Systems (now Raytheon Systems Company) for the fourth year in a row. We also continue to have either a MIL-I-45208A and/or Certified Supplier ratings with ITT Cannon, Litton Guidance and Control, Kaiser Electroprecision, Primex (was Olin Ordnance), Raytheon Company, Rockwell International and Schweizer Aircraft. Honeywell, Inc., out of Phoenix, Arizona instituted a rating program many years ago. Over the past year they merged their rating system to include the two divisions we work with. We now have a "Gold" rating, the highest rating achievable.

We covet and protect these ratings. One of our keys to success is the personal commitment of every individual here to the quality of the product we produce! Once Cal-Tron holds a vendor rating, we never lose it!

Quality Assurance Update: January 2000

Welcome to the Year 2000! With the economy so strong, this new year holds great opportunity for manufacturing in general and Cal-Tron Corporation in particular. With a sales increase of 18%, 1999 was a very good year for us and we anticipate the trend to continue. In April, we will be celebrating 30 years in Bishop and over 61 years in business!

As always, we continue to place a tremendous emphasis on quality, with the objective being both improved customer relations and efficiency in our production operations. As the demand for precise tolerances continues to be a driving force in our industry, our Quality Department will be purchasing a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) during the first quarter of this year. This will expand our capabilities, allowing for quicker more accurate measurements, especially during in-process inspection.

With production efficiency in mind, we have recently purchased both 50 Ton and 88 Ton Boy Machines. We will also be adding an additional 5,600 square feet to our current building to accommodate our increased customer demand.

In January, 1999, Honeywell came to us, with tool in hand, to mold a light diffuser for an instrument panel used on the Boeing 737 & 777 jets. We are the 5th molder since 1993 to attempt this project. The parts are molded from translucent Polycarbonate and can have no contamination larger than .005". Due to this stringent quality standard, a 50% rejection rate at Honeywell was considered "good"! Each part is 100% inspected both during molding and secondary operations, using a light box to see the contamination. We also worked with the material supplier on contamination introduced during their dying process. The yield on our parts was so good at Honeywell, they came back to us and said we were being too critical!

In the fall of 1999, we were selected as one of only two molders by Aleks International of Newport Beach, CA, to work with them to mold very small, very tight toleranced parts from PEEK, PK and TPI. These materials are generally regarded as difficult to process and few molders will work with them. These parts will go on a revolutionary hydraulic pump, which has been patented world wide. This project has tremendous potential for growth and we are very excited to be in on the ground floor.

Once again, we have been recertified with GenCorp Aerojet for the seventh year in a row and Raytheon Systems Company for the fifth year in a row. We also continue to hold either a MIL-I-45208A and/or Certified Supplier ratings with Honeywell, ITT Cannon, Kaiser Electroprecision, Litton Guidance and Control, Lockheed Martin, Primex, Raytheon Company, Rockwell International and Schweizer Aircraft. In addition, we are proud of our 100% vendor ratings with Barnstead/Thermolyne, McKechnie Vehicle Components, PTI Advanced Filtration and ShurFlo.

In August, 1999, Stellex Microwave Systems of Palo Alto, CA held their annual supplier conference. We were awarded special recognition by them for our 100% quality rating and 100% on time delivery performance. This award is given annually to only one supplier. It is a great accomplishment for us!

Our reputation is based on the quality of everything we do. This is truly a team effort between each employee here and our customers. Not everyone walks the talk; at Cal-Tron Corporation we strive to - every hour of every day.

Quality Assurance Update: January 2001

Welcome to the real "New Millennium"! 2000 was a good year for us. With the economy taking some rough hits during the past few months, we are bracing ourselves for a bumpy ride for at least part of 2001. Nevertheless in anticipation of this, we have made adjustments accordingly. Cal-Tron Corporation has weathered many economic up's and down's in its 61 plus year history. This one will be no different.

The effectiveness of any organization is proportionate to the strength of its leadership. Our focus for 2001 is developing the leaders within our organization. To this end, we have been utilizing the resources offered by John Maxwell in his Leadership series. Our goal being improved efficiency and quality in all areas of the company. This will, of course, benefit not only us, but all of our customers as well.

Last April our Quality Assurance Department added the BRT-M507 Series 196 Mitutoyo Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) to its "staff". With the ever increasing complexity in the design and production of plastic components, the CMM provides us with the ability to measure area's typical metrology equipment cannot measure. It also gives us greater flexibility in measuring both large and small features, which often require additional equipment to accurately measure. Along with the complexity of parts comes the complexity of materials now available. The CMM enables us to measure with extreme accuracy those areas our customers consider critical. Our objective with the CMM is to improve the accuracy of our measuring along with enabling us to do more in process inspection. Once again, the emphasis is on improving quality in all phases of production.

Last March our SPC Department saw a change in leadership with the promotion of Kathy Baker. Kathy has been with Cal-Tron for over eight years as our top Machine Operator. She brings her many years of experience and knowledge to this department. In her position as SPC Coordinator, she has implemented many positive changes. Kathy is currently re-evaluating and improving the SPC techniques being used on each job. This enables us to monitor the tool and the process in a more accurate manner, one that is best suited for the particular part.

We have been a Certified Supplier to Lockheed Martin Corporation since November 1997. To be considered for their program, a company must have a 98% quality and delivery rating and even then, each company is subject to approval by their Supplier Board. In mid-2000, our supplier rating was upgraded to "platinum", the highest rating Lockheed Martin has. Even as a Certified Supplier, they still required Source Inspection, the upgrade to a "platinum" rating means we now ship direct to stock without S.I. This is a great accomplishment!

Our on-going commitment to the production of quality products in a timely manner has allowed us renewal of our Certified Supplier rating with GenCorp Aerojet for the eighth year in a row and Raytheon Systems Company for the sixth year in a row. We also continue to hold either a MIL-I-45208A and/or Certified Supplier ratings with Honeywell, ITT Cannon, Kaiser Electroprecision, Litton Guidance and Control, Primex, Raytheon Company, Rockwell International and Schweizer Aircraft. In addition, we are proud of our 100% vendor ratings with Barnstead/Thermolyne, PTI Advanced Filtration, ShurFlo and Tyco Electronics.

The recognition of our Quality System by these manufacturers, not only demonstrates how well our system works, but also our continuing partnership with each company. It must, once again, be stated that the teamwork practiced within Cal-Tron Corporation is the very backbone of our success.