Pompano Beach – As president of Farmers Pump Inc., Morgan Reeser had reason to be proud. His industrial water pumps are considered some of the most efficient and well made in the industry. If we had a problem with even one pump in a year that was a surprise,” Reeser said. “Quality has just always been there.” But these days, knowing about your own product’s quality just isn’t enough.

“A year ago I was unable to bid on some projects because my company wasn’t ISO certified,” Reeser said. “I also had intentions of bidding on some overseas projects that also required me to be ISO compliant. I knew I had to do something.

ISO 9001 signifies the company has met a rigorous set of internationally observed standards. While the process to become ISO certified entailed a lot of work, time and effort, it was definitely worth it, according to Reeser.

“The certification has allowed me to keep existing customers by demonstrating our commitment to meeting and exceeding their requirements,” Reeser said. “And, as hoped, it has allowed us to bid on new contracts in this country and overseas.”  In fact, those new customers have allowed Farmers Pump to increase sales 20 percent during the first year alone, Reeser said.

Finally, and just as important, being ISO 9001 certified has allowed the company to decrease the time it takes to manufacture repeat orders, thereby decreasing lead time and increasing profitability.

“The team led by Gil Lugo was just spectacular,” Reeser said. “They were active in and very excited about the process. They pushed us along and made sure things happened when they were supposed to.”

The project started with a company-wide awareness program, followed by documentation and implementation assistance. The team also trained the employees on how to plan, conduct and audit a Quality Management System. Farmers Pump Inc. received ISO 9001 certification in less than 10 months – which is almost record time.

Testimonial: “Gil Lugo and his team were able to get the job done far quicker and with more emphasis on what truly is important to our business than we expected,” Reeser said. “In addition, the consultants had a great amount of hands-on experience, not only in ISO, but specifically with manufacturing. That fact alone gave us a lot of confidence in our implementation approach.” Morgan Reeser, President, Farmers Pump, Inc.