STI-CO has been ISO 9000 certified since 2006, but customer growth and a desire to support additional markets prompted them to seek AS9100D certification. An additional challenge was that the existing ISO 9000 certification would expire before sufficient time to implement and certify the new quality system.

To effectively upgrade their quality management system, STI-CO partnered with Insyte Consulting to develop and implement the necessary components for the system to meet the requirements of AS9100D. The first step was to conduct a gap analysis to identify areas of the quality management system that did not comply with the AS9100D standard. After completing this, the analysis was reviewed with management. The tasks of updating the system documents were assigned to appropriate personnel, and the completed documents were reviewed by the quality manager and Insyte staff.

Following this, members of the organization were trained on the requirements and process of internal auditing. As the new documentation was released, internal audits were initiated. While updating the documents for AS9100D, the ISO recertification was conducted. Several findings were identified that needed to be addressed to maintain the existing certification. This delayed the progress toward finalizing the AS9100D-compliant system.

Once the existing ISO system was recertified, the focus shifted back to implementing the new AS9100D system. Documentation was completed and presented to company personnel, and internal audits were conducted. After several weeks of addressing audit findings and enhancing the system, the AS9100D certification audit was scheduled.

Norwegian Baked uses traditional family recipes to bake crispbread (knekkebrød) in its Brooklyn bakery. The business has experienced solid growth with wholesale partners who resell the crispbread nationwide. Norwegian Baked is also seeing promising success on their Etsy storefront, with over 3,000 unique orders and rave reviews. Because these products are highly specific, the search terms around them are very deliberate, leading to high conversion rates with a large percentage of visitors to the Etsy shop becoming paying customers. However, these specific product terms also limit the ability to attract new traffic or introduce non-Nordics to Norwegian Baked’s products. The New York City Industrial & Technology Assistance Corporation (ITAC), part of the New York MEP and the MEP National Network^TM, partnered with Norwegian Baked to initiate a project to optimize the Etsy website store to increase both organic traffic and order volume, while maintaining high conversion rates.

Since the term “Knekkebrød” is very specific, ITAC and its partners recommended techniques to attract a broader audience and introduce the product to new customers. The project began with a visual refresh. The online storefront layout was improved, and updated branding and images helped showcase some of the many ways this traditional snack can be enjoyed in American households.

New products were also developed to further expand keywords and listings. Revised titles and product images helped attract a broader audience on both new and existing product listings, and additional testing was conducted on related keywords. These new terms focused on health benefits, snacks, and recipes that use crackers, as well as other unique advantages that introduced Knekkebrød to a wider range of consumers.

Like any online campaign, it’s essential to keep experimenting and optimizing. To track this testing process and progress, templates were created for long-term research and growth. The Norwegian Baked team gained new knowledge of listing format templates, research methods, and other optimization skills to better manage this process.

Tests ran for four weeks, and after this period, results were recorded, and further edits were made. The impacts of this project were immediate, and the team was excited about the results.

Thanks to the success of this work, ITAC introduced Norwegian Baked to a similar Brooklyn business, and they are co-developing a product line to launch on the Etsy storefront.

Plattco’s facilities consist of two aging buildings separated by gravel, leading to inefficiencies in key processes like design, production, inventory management, and shipping and receiving. This physical separation, along with outdated infrastructure, challenges interdepartmental communication and operational efficiency, and fails to meet current environmental and energy standards.

Planning the construction of a state-of-the-art facility while maintaining high-intensity production processes, including metal forging, requires careful coordination and a resilient, aligned workforce. Recognizing that this transformation affects every part of the organization, Plattco engaged CITEC, part of the New York MEP and the MEP National Network, to help build the organizational readiness and alignment needed to support their long-term growth and modernization goals over many years.

Plattco has strategically invested in its people, processes, and materials to prepare for moving to a new facility while maintaining its commitment to serving a global customer base with high-quality, custom-engineered valves.

Understanding the importance of bringing the entire team together around a shared vision, Plattco partnered with CITEC to help develop mission and vision statements that embody the organization’s core values. This collaborative effort made sure every employee understood their role in the company’s future, encouraging a unified culture ready to face the challenges of modernization.

To support effective leadership during this critical period, Plattco teamed up with CITEC to deliver management development training for its leadership team members. These programs provided managers with vital skills in communication, coaching, conflict resolution, and team motivation, leading to increased productivity and lower turnover.

Plattco’s dedication to continuous improvement includes leveraging research and innovation. Through a CITEC connection, Plattco has secured R&D tax credits, leading to significant cost savings that can be reinvested into product development. Additionally, with support from the NY MEP’s Advanced Materials Grant, Plattco tested a reusable sand material for valve mold production, reducing waste and operational costs while supporting their environmental sustainability goals. They also completed a cybersecurity assessment, providing a roadmap to help protect their information systems and adhere to industry standards.

By leveraging its partnership with CITEC and the New York MEP network, Plattco continues to build a solid foundation for its future, aligning operational excellence with innovation as it prepares to move to a modern facility that will support its growth for decades to come.

WSB was generating over 30,000 pounds of hazardous waste each year, costing tens of thousands of dollars annually. This amount classified the company as a Large Quantity Generator (LQG). Most of the hazardous waste was rinse water from various metal oxidation and coloring processes. WSB was seeking solutions to cut hazardous waste and reduce costs.

Insyte Consulting collaborated with the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) to assess reverse osmosis (RO) technology as a cost-effective way for WSB to reuse process water and minimize hazardous waste. From this assessment, a process was developed to produce water suitable for reuse, with an estimated 95% decrease in hazardous waste.

WSB chose to buy the system and enlisted NYSP2I’s help in implementing the process water recycling system.

A collaborative team consisting of WSB, NYSP2I, and the equipment supplier reviewed the Bill of Materials and system layout. The team supervised the system’s start-up and worked to optimize its performance after the custom-designed and fabricated system was installed.

A mixing tote was added to collect all rinses, serving as an equalization tank. The combined solution was then transferred to the RO process tank through a 5-micron filter to improve system performance. Additional modifications included installing a pressurized bladder tank and ion exchange columns to efficiently route RO permeate back to various operations.

Meyda operates e-commerce websites that support online sales. The company wanted to improve its web presence and search engine optimization (SEO) to attract more visitors and, in turn, potential customers. Chester Cohen, Meyda Lighting Management Executive, learned about FuzeHub, which provides SEO services and is part of the New York MEP and the MEP National Network™.

FuzeHub addressed technical issues that were hurting Meyda’s SEO and worked with the company’s web developer and marketers to overhaul website design and functionality. This supported the addition of thousands of new products and helped Meyda achieve a large increase in web traffic. FuzeHub also helped Meyda implement email automation for outbound marketing.

Medical simulation models, ranging from small flesh-like wound cells to intravenous Practice Arms and full-body frames, are usually made with silicone-based thermoplastics or thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). Silicone-based TPEs are often produced at large scales through injection molding, but this method presents challenges for manufacturing smaller quantities of medical simulation units. Besides the high costs that create barriers to market entry, Training Bridge aimed to address other issues with silicone-based TPEs, such as their lack of recyclability and difficulty in repair. Conversely, plant-based TPEs provide benefits in molding, quick customization, repairability, and recyclability.

To support the startup’s use of plant-based TPEs in a medical simulation project, the Center for Economic Growth (CEG) helped Training Bridge secure a $20,000 grant from the Advanced Manufacturing Institute (AMI) Advanced Materials Technical Assistance Program. This grant, awarded by FuzeHub, involved CEG collaborating with AMGIO Consulting to provide Training Bridge with a technical solution for safely and cost-effectively dispensing TPE. The consultant also aimed to help Training Bridge improve their quoting process by providing more accurate lead time and cost projections.

AMGIO Consulting in Ballston Lake, New York, offers technical support in project management, planning, and systems engineering for launching manufacturing programs. The firm’s CEO is Alexander Giordano, a mechanical engineer and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate who held several key roles at Precision Valve & Automation related to designing, producing, and selling industrial dispensing equipment.

As Taro looked to the future, the lack of formal ISO9001 certification was inhibiting even greater growth within target markets. A plan was implemented to initiate a formal transition to and adoption of ISO9001 standards. The plan was supported by Central New York Technology Development Organization (CNYTDO), part of the New York MEP and the MEP National Network™.

CNYTDO assisted Taro with all facets of the project. The ISO9001 implementation included internal auditor training as well as a full Quality Management System overhaul and establishment of a Quality Manual and Top-Level Procedure Manual. By developing a workforce knowledgeable in ISO9001, Taro was able to incorporate the standardization and saving in efficiencies ISO9001 promises.