Quality starts from within: BMW Roof System manufacturer announces achievement
Inalfa Roof Systems continues to impress. The automotive manufacturer of sunroofs and open roof systems has achieved their TS-16949 Certification, which is crucial to their success and growth in the automotive sector. This certification is evidence that the Cherokee team has successfully developed a quality management system which provides for continual improvement, emphasizing defect prevention and the reduction of variation and waste in the supply chain. The Cherokee Office of Economic Development (COED) was honored to celebrate this achievement with all of their employees as they proudly held a banner showcasing their accomplishment.
The majority of automotive OEM’s mandate that Tier 1 suppliers acquire TS-16949 certification in order to quote on future business. The aim of the standard is to improve the system and process quality to increase customer satisfaction, to identify problems and risks in the production process and supply chain, to eliminate their causes and to examine and take corrective and preventive measures for their effectiveness. This does not focus on the discovery but on the avoidance of errors.
Inalfa Roof System’s journey to become certified started immediately after opening the facility in January 2014. Not only did a Quality Management System have to be developed, deployed and employees trained; they also had to show evidence that the system was being sustained. “It took tremendous commitment, dedication and hard work by the entire team to accomplish this task,” said Greg Cornett Plant Manager. “I want to take this opportunity to send out a personal THANK YOU to all of our employees. This certification was a major milestone for the Cherokee Inalfa Roof Systems facility, and it shows that our young team has what it takes to be a world class supplier of sun roof systems.”
Inalfa Roof Systems is the manufacturer of panoramic roof systems for vehicles such as the BMW X5, Lincoln MKC and the Ford Escape. Already one of Cherokee’s largest employers, Inalfa announced plans for a second building in the Cherokee 75 Corporate Park in early 2015. The global manufacturer of high-end automotive roof systems located its regional headquarters in the park 2014 and is anchor tenant. Cherokee 75 Corporate Park is located in the SW corner of the county and is the only area in Cherokee with direct access to Interstate 75.