Motus IATF 16949® Case Study

CHALLENGE

Janesville Fiber Solutions (a unit of Motus Integrated Technologies) is one of the world’s largest producers of acoustical and thermal fiber insulation. Recognizing its environmental responsibility, Motus focuses on the continuous development of environmentally friendly fiber solutions. Their core product ingredient is recycled fiber and the use of recycled materials has been a part of their manufacturing process for over a century.

The Janesville unit of Motus operates as a Tier I and Tier II supplier to the automotive and transportation industry worldwide and leads the industry in fiber expertise and manufacturing capabilities. Founded in 1874, the company has manufacturing plants and satellite offices in Michigan, Ohio, Mississippi, North Carolina, Missouri, and Mexico.

SimpleQuE’s partnership with Janesville began in 2011 with ISO/TS 16949 training and consulting and continued as they successfully transitioned to IATF 16949®. From those early days at their headquarters in Southfield, Michigan to today, the relationship has expanded to include 6 U.S. sites and annual internal audits for IATF 16949® and/or ISO 14001.  

This case study delves into the Motus manufacturing facility at Old Fort, North Carolina.

When asked what quality issues and challenges might keep her awake at night, Quality Manager, Christina Waldroup, shared two of them. The first is having a process, but not following it. How could it be improved? And another area of concern was how to develop an effective documented total productive maintenance system to comply with the IATF® requirements?

SOLUTION

Waldroup explains, “SimpleQuE doesn’t just suggest what to do, they help you to put a process in place that will work best for our QMS system, a process that will add value and not just act as a filler to meet a particular clause of the standard. I feel confident for the consulting I receive, the process I have in place is effective and works for our QMS. There is nothing worse than putting in a corrective action just for an audit. Corrective actions should add value and strengthen your system. SimpleQuE helps me achieve these results.”

Another challenge where SimpleQuE assistance was key, was in meeting maintenance objectives to comply with IATF 16949® Clause 8.5.1.5 Total Productive Maintenance including MTTR (Mean Time to Repair) and MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure). “Maintenance is often hit during audits and SimpleQuE worked with us to ensure the standard was understood and we could provide evidence to support. We now chart each of our production lines in an easy format that makes record keeping a breeze. This was a huge challenge for my plant but with SimpleQuE’s help, it is now one of the easiest things we do,” stated Waldroup.

RESULT

“The benefits I have received from bringing in SimpleQuE are having IATF 16949® and ISO 14001 systems in place that are top-notch. For ISO 14001, I have completed 3 years in a row with 0 findings by a registrar. For IATF 16949®, I have completed 3 years with less than 3 findings (all minor). I contribute a lot of this to a great team at my place of employment and to SimpleQuE. They worked with everyone to make sure they not only understood the standard but why the standard is there and how to reap the benefit. SimpleQuE has the approach of ‘I am on your team’ and it really shows,” says Waldroup.

“The SimpleQuE approach and team expertise makes you at ease and encourages all types of questions. The staff is very knowledgeable and has hands-on experience in the automotive field,” added Waldroup. “This is key in being able to communicate, express ideas, and fears because the staff has experienced the same problems. It’s like having an old friend you can turn to for advice when you need it.”

“SimpleQuE has a phenomenal team of qualified (IATF®, ISO, EMS) trained auditors with a wealth of expertise and knowledge in manufacturing. The entire team has been very instrumental in my company’s continued success in maintaining an effective QMS.” – Wanda Miller, Corporate Quality Manager at Motus.

Motus’ quality, performance, and functionality benchmarks serve as the performance reference for fiber-based acoustical applications worldwide. Serving customers like Chrysler, GM, Mitsubishi, and Volkswagen, Motus’ employees take pride in producing innovative products and solutions that are cost-effective, recyclable, weight-conscious, and engineered to the highest quality standards.