PRESS RELEASE - ESK Ceramics Gmbh & Co. KG

PRESS RELEASE
Kempten, October 7, 2008 – No. PM0809-12
ESK Certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
Kempten, October 7, 2008 - ESK Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG has
successfully passed the recertification audit of its quality and
environmental management systems to ISO 9001:2000 and ISO
14001:2004. The recertification in July 2008 demonstrates the
high quality standard of the world-leading manufacturer of advanced
technical ceramics.
All corporate divisions, from production, through development, to
sales, have been distinguished with the ISO 9001:2000 and ISO
14001:2004 certificates. They were first awarded to ESK in 1994 and
are now valid for a further three years. The surface engineering division
is additionally certified to the automotive quality standard ISO/TS
16949 for its friction coatings for this industry.
In its test report, the three-strong team of auditors particularly praised
ESK’s IDEAS NET, which was introduced in 2007. “The ideas management
is an absolute high spot. ESK sets the standard for employee
suggestion schemes,” said the auditor Susanne Volz. ESK
makes targeted use of its employees’ ideas and suggestions when
improving its workflows and production processes. With an average of
two ideas per employee and year, the quota of ideas is very high
compared to other companies in similar industries. That shows the
high level of commitment by the employees.
The auditors also praised the Kempten company’s effective production
management and process landscape. The company’s different
process layers and workflows are made transparent in a process
map, which, together with the associated standard operating procedures,
is accessible to each and every employee in the intranet.
ESK practices an integrated management system (IMS), which not
only helps to guarantee the high quality of its products but also contributes
to efficient management of resources and sustainability.
For manufacturers of advanced ceramic products for industrial applications,
the ISO certificate is more than just a quality seal. “This
year’s audit did not find any departures from the standard, but
showed up further improvement potential and will help us to further
optimize our processes. We want to continually improve,” explains
Thomas Hirschmann, head of quality management and IMS delegate.
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Besides the official certification, his department therefore also performs
several internal audits per year.
ESK Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG
ESK Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG is a world-leading suppliers of advanced
ceramic products for industrial applications, and a specialist
in the field of nickel dispersion coatings. Our extensive range of materials
comprises borides, carbides and nitrides, for example boron carbide,
boron nitride, silicon carbide, silicon nitride or titanium diboride.
Our product portfolio includes 18 registered trademarks and 10 specialized,
applications-oriented ceramic materials used by customers
from over 30 industries around the world. Furthermore, ESK is continually
developing new applications for ceramic materials in cooperation
with customers and research institutes. ESK was founded in 1922
and now employs over 700 people at its headquarters in Kempten
(Allgäu/South Germany and its subsidiary in Bazet (France). Since
August 2004, ESK has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Ceradyne.
Inc., which is based in Costa Mesa (California, USA) and publicly
listed on the US NASDAQ technology stock exchange. Ceradyne has
over 2,500 employees at a total of 14 sites worldwide. Its sales in
2007 reached USD 756 million (approx. EUR 480 million).
For further information, visit us at: www.esk.com
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Suggested photo:
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File: ESK080723_ISO-Auditoren_005_hr.JPG
Representatives of ESK and the team of auditors (from left): Dr. Hubert Martin
(TÜV Süd), Leo Bründl (Head of Safety & Environmental Services), Dr.
Thomas Jüngling (President of the Executive Board), Clemens Kippes (Executive
Vice President), Dr. Hubert Klehr (TÜV Süd), Thomas Hirschmann
(Head of Quality Management), Susanne Volz (TÜV Süd), Thomas Walz
(Head of Operations & Production) and Dr. Christoph Lesniak (Head of R&D)
Print-quality graphical material can be obtained from the contacts given
below.
Press Contacts
ESK Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG
Roland Schmid
Corporate Branding &
Communications
Max-Schaidhauf-Straße 25
87437 Kempten, Germany
Telephone: +49 (0)831 - 5618-259
Telefax: +49 (0)831 - 5618-8259
Email: press@esk.com
www.esk.com
Storymaker
Agentur für Public Relations GmbH
Simone Anders
Account Manager
Derendinger Str. 50
72072 Tübingen, Germany
Telephone: +49 (0)7071 - 93872-214
Telefax: +49 (0)7071 - 93872-29
Email: s.anders@storymaker.de
www.storymaker.de