For a small, minority owned machining and metal fabrication manufacturer such as Precision Tool Manufacturer (Greer, SC), the idea of achieving ISO 9002 certification might have seemed far-fetched. Given the costs and time involved in the certification process, many small manufacturers are not equipped to handle the extra burdens, even though they may need certification in order to attract larger customers.
When Merl Code, chief executive officer of Precision Tool, needed to position his company to compete for worldwide business, he turned to the South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP, Columbia, SC), a nonprofit organization affiliated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) formed to help manufacturers compete in the global marketplace.