Quality - Throughout our Entire Operation
Sierra Proto Express' commitment to total quality begins at the top of the organization. Ken Bahl, President and CEO, personally heads the quality initiative. Reporting to him are:
Randy M, Director of Engineering
Bob S, Manager of Quality Assurance
Our proprietary quality processes address several areas. We'll address them in sequence
- Quality in manufacturing your design
- Quality in the manufacturing process
- Quality training
- Quality in customer service
- Quality in customer communication
Quality in Manufacturing Your Design
Quality processes begin as soon as your gerber files are received. Our new Technical Support Center reviews every design and will call with problems or suggestions as soon as your design is received.
Then, throughout the manufacturing process, our engineers continuously check to see that the board is true to your specifications. Should an issue arise, you will be contacted immediately by an engineer with hands-on knowledge of your design and the issue, and who is empowered to resolve that issue.
In fact, each board goes through at least 9 different tests and inspections.
- Certificate of Compliance
- Microsection Lab Report
- First Article Report (Fabrication)
- First Article Report (Hole Sizes)
- Final Inspection Report
- Electrical Test Certification (HiRel)
- Electrical Test Certification
- Impedance Report
- Ionic Cleanliness Report
Some of these reports are always included in the shipment package.
Others may be requested, for an extra charge.
Note: For our Internet Special "No Touch" jobs, our quality process may differ slightly from above.
Quality in the Manufacturing Process
The following is an overview of the quality inspection and testing that are part of our manufacturing process:
In-process inspection at critical processes
- Dry film
- Cuposit
- Etch
- Solder mask
Machine testing
- Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI)
- Electrical testing
- Impedance testing
Final inspection
The coupons on the panelized end product provide further information for the final inspection. These coupons show:
- A microsection analysis - to IPC class 2 & 3 standards or Military 55110
- # of layers
- Tests on all 4 corners
Quality in the manufacturing process is further evidenced by the certifications Sierra Proto Express has achieved:
- ISO - 9002 Certified
- MIL-P-55110 Qualified
- IPC-600-A Certified Trainers
- ITAR
In the coming years, we also plan to secure the TL 9000 certification and ISO 9002:2000 re-certification.
As another aspect of quality, it should also be mentioned that Sierra Proto Express is environmentally responsible and has been environmentally clean since 1989. Currently, we:
- Consume the least possible amount of water per square foot of boards produced
- Discharge no more than 1/10th of the allowable heavy metals
Quality Training
Sierra Proto Express manufacturing personnel include IPC Certified Inspectors. Additionally, employees receive (as appropriate):
- Operator On-the-Job Training and Certification
- ETP Training (40 hours per employee)
- SPC Training
Quality in Customer Service
As evidence of our commitment to our valued customers, we recently tripled our sales and service staff. We have a dedicated online customer service form at
www.protoexpress.com/customerservice.
But the only true measure of quality in customer service is your satisfaction. Sierra Proto Express is committing to a comprehensive customer satisfaction process that will:
- Immediately identify and resolve individual customer issues
- Regularly determine overall customer satisfaction, the areas where we excel, and the areas in which we need to improve
- Provide input and direction to management regarding the areas in which we need to improve
Quality in Customer Communications
Sierra Proto Express has committed to quality in our customer communications:
- Customer communications are carefully planned, sequenced, and implemented to provide information about significant technology advances or promotional opportunities
- Increasingly, media will be deployed strictly per customer preferences
- Account Managers and Customer Service personnel are specifically trained in how to bring quality to customer interactions
