Capital Injection Ceramics announces its certification to the AS9100 aerospace QMS standard
CIC has been certified to the ISO9001 standard since its formation in 2006; at the beginning of 2008 the strategic decision was taken to attain AS9100 certification. The reason to adopt this more rigorous and demanding standard was to demonstrate to existing customers our commitment to exceptional quality standards and, of course, to attract new customers. It is believed that CIC is the only independent ceramic core manufacturer certified to the AS9100 standard.
The AS9100 quality standard is the widely adopted quality management system for the aerospace industry. It was released in 1999 in the United States by the Society of Automotive Engineers as ‘AS9100 Quality Management Systems – Aerospace Requirements’ and subsequently released by other Standards bodies worldwide. Major aerospace manufacturers and suppliers worldwide require compliance to AS9100 as a condition of their supply chain.
Over 90% of CIC’s production constitutes complex ceramic cores for blades and vanes for land based Industrial Gas Turbine applications (among others, CIC manufacture 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th stage blades and vanes for end-users Siemens, Alstom, GE and Ansaldo). The customers for these cores, although not normally requiring AS9100 certification of suppliers, do see this Standard as enhanced company control in producing to this exacting quality requirement. In addition to IGT, CIC produces ceramic cores for medical and hardware applications and, recently CIC has begun production of ceramic cores for aerospace applications.
CIC was originally founded in 2005; it became part of the Capital Refractories Group early in 2007. Many CIC customers already have an established supply relationship with Capital Refractories for products within its existing portfolio i.e. ceramic crucibles for vacuum and air melting, pouring cups, pre-cast ceramic shapes, induction furnace linings, mould repair materials, gas diffusion technology etc. Since 2005, CIC has successfully developed over 160 tools for the ceramic core process; in the case of many transferred IGT tools, CIC has been successful where one or even more core suppliers have been unsuccessful.
2008 saw CIC develop over 50 tools (new build and transfer), mostly IGT parts, demonstrating the ability to react to customers urgent requirements. This period resulted in production being doubled; floor-space tripled and increased development resources to ensure capacity for future growth. CIC has seen continuing growth in 2009 and is investing correspondingly; this year orders have been placed for new presses, CNC machines, a new kiln and drying facilities.
Last year CIC was presented with an award for New Supplier of the Year by Doncasters Group CEO Eric Lewis. CIC’s other customers include AETC, ESCO, EMA, Wood Group and Alcoa-Howmet.
Capital Injection Ceramics Presented with New Supplier of the Year by Doncasters
Capital Refractories Limited is pleased to announce that their subsidiary company, Capital Injection Ceramics Limited, has received a prestigious award from an important customer in recognition of CIC’s ability to react responsively and satisfying their technical and production requirements on some of their most complex core requirements.
In May, CIC attended Doncasters Deritend’s supplier conference where Doncasters Group CEO Eric Lewis discussed the group’s results and highlights of the last 12 months and shared his expectations for Doncasters’ business growth and of the role of suppliers for the company moving forwards. The event concluded with an award ceremony where a handful of suppliers were picked out for special recognition. CIC was presented with an award for New Supplier of the Year. Fraser Strath, Technical Process Manager, received the award on behalf of CIC from Louise Hall of Doncasters.
CIC is delighted and proud to receive this recognition from one of the industry’s leading casting houses. This award not only serves to confirm CIC’s technical capabilities but it shows that CIC is achieving its objectives of setting new standards of customer responsiveness.
CIC has been supplying ceramic cores to Doncasters since 2006 but it is during 2007 that CIC has become involved in a number of key programmes, successfully delivering cores on time, in full in each case. CIC began working with Doncasters and was able to prove its capabilities on a number of transfer tools during 2006 and into 2007. Since the middle of 2007, Doncasters has begun to commission a number of new tools for CIC for new industrial gas turbine (IGT) programmes.
The company that is now CIC was originally founded in 2005; it became part of the Capital Refractories group at the beginning of 2007 and has benefited from technical, commercial and administrative support as well as financial investment from Capital altogether giving customers the confidence of dealing with a larger, longer established company.
CIC has successfully developed over 120 tools for its ceramic core process. Many of these tools are from customers who already have an established supply relationship with Capital Refractories for products within its existing portfolio i.e. ceramic crucibles, pre-cast ceramic shapes, induction furnace linings, mould repair materials, gas diffusion technology etc.
During the last 12 months alone CIC has received over 50 new and transfer tools. In the case of many transferred IGT tools, CIC has been successful where one or even more core suppliers have been unsuccessful. The large majority of CIC’s current output is complex blades and vanes for IGT although CIC also produces ceramic cores for hardware and medical applications. In addition to Doncasters other customers include AETC, ESCO Turbine Technology, EMA, and Alcoa-Howmet.
In the last year, CIC has more than doubled production and in the same period has tripled floor-space and production capability to ensure sufficient capacity for future growth – current production is using only half of current capacity. Recent capital investments include a new 250 cuft kiln (making 3 kilns in total), 50t injection press (making 5 presses in total), probe CNC machine (making 5 CNC’s in total) and large CMM machine (making 2 CMM’s in total) and wax preparation facilities.
CIC has been accredited to the ISO 9001 standard since 2006, but is pleased to announce that it has launched a program to achieve the rigorous aerospace standard ASI 9100 by March 2009.