A focus on quality

Based in the North of England, Stainless Band is a worldwide supplier of stainless strapping, banding, coil, strip, blanks and sheet in grades 1.4301, 1.4404 and 1.4016. The company supplied over 4,500 tonnes of slit coil last year to various manufacturers around the world. While these numbers are substantial in their own right, they are made all the more impressive considering the amount of testing Stainless Band ensures each product undergoes both in raw state and before leaving its facilities after processing, as well as during multiple spot-tests throughout the production process.

In today’s market, quality is not only demanded; it is expected. Producing a consistently high quality product requires continued testing from raw material, through production, to final dispatch. This multi-faceted testing approach is essential in order to guarantee the products are the standard expected and demanded by customers.

The first point of quality control is when raw material enters Stainless Bands 16,600 sq.ft. manufacturing facility through its goods inwards bay. All materials arriving from the mills are thoroughly tested at Stainless Band’s in-house multi-stage testing facility. These testing processes including hardness, tensile strength and chemical analysis ensuring the stringent quality demands put in place by Stainless Band are met before material enters the processing lines.

At processing stage, more testing takes place from measuring edge burr, thicknesses and widths to checking edge cambers and straightness. Supervisors also routinely perform spot checks assessing edge conditions, surface finishes and ensuring products are processed to match the customer’s requirements.

A final inspection is performed when processing is complete, which entails a thorough examination to ensure the products are suitable for dispatch and meet the quality requirements set by Stainless Band and the client. Following these final quality inspections, a Test Certificate is produced, which is then sent out to customers via email once the material is shipped – this provides an assurance that products meet the required specification for grade.

Honey Sawhney will be joined in the New Year by Quality Manager Kate Wawrzyczny, who is due to return from her maternity leave. Together they will continue to oversee the quality, HR and health and safety. Some key areas they will focus on will be improving and maintaining Stainless Bands quality assurance systems, improving efficiency in production as well as improving the working environment for its 35 current employees as well as any of the new starters which are being brought in to facilitate further growth.

Stainless Band’s ISO 9001:2008 certification has been reissued through to September 2018 following a recent audit, but in adherence to the company’s “continuous improvement journey”, Stainless Band never stops striving to make further improvements, and aims to attain the new ISO 9001:2015 within the next 12 months. The ISO 9001 certifications are quality management system frameworks, ensuring efficiency, accountability, and environmental management. Stainless Band has retained the ISO 9001:2008 certification for many years by continually reviewing and improving manufacturing processes, product quality and service to its customers.

MD of Stainless Band, Jonathan Hanson stresses the importance of testing materials before production, “If we are 100% sure of the raw material quality before entering our production lines, and it is tested throughout processing and pre-delivery, we can be confident of a consistently high quality product and increased efficiency in one fell swoop.”

It’s this attention to detail and quality that has seen Stainless Band’s sales soar over recent years. It’s penetration of the global marketplace due to its friendly, multi-lingual team, consistent quality in its wide range of products and fast turnaround on orders has caused the company to make significant investments in it’s facility and people. Recent investments allow Stainless Band to store more raw materials, increase processing capabilities, streamline logistics and have increased processed stock available for shipments.

With such a wide range of processing services including slitting, shearing, coating, finishing, edge dressing and more, all with the Stainless Band promise of quality, there is no wonder that Stainless Band are a preferred supplier to so many industries requiring a supplier whose service and product offering is consistent, reliable and flexible.