Stork knows how.

"In every industry, our customers are looking for answers, solutions, or opportunities." In the recent Stork publication, Stork knows how, Polymer Science Manager Jeffrey Jansen found a concise way to explain how he and all Stork experts support our customers.

Answers, solutions, and opportunities are in abundance in this issue of Storklink, which includes the most important and relevant news and information of 2007 and 2008 from all U.S. laboratories. We hope you enjoy reading it.

Holding Fast: Stork achieves accreditation for specialized anchor testing methods Read more about Stork TCT's new concrete anchor testing capabilities. Stork appoints David Luoni to Quality Director Read more about the former PRI Engineer and newest member of the Stork management team.   48-hour turnaround a reality in Stork chemistry laboratory Read about the Kaizen and 5S improvements that are helping the Huntington Beach chemistry lab meet and beat their turnaround goals.

LEAD ARTICLES Managing for Daily Improvement How Stork management is learning to keep up with empowered employees.  Read more. Stork customers break survey records Read more about the Stork customer survey that received our highest response rate ever. Stork Herron earns Bell Helicopter approval Stork's laboratory in Cleveland is serving the V-22 Osprey program with testing services. Read more . . . Technical Article: Fracture Surface Analysis Read a new article about the clues failure analysts look for on sample surfaces. 2007 acquisitions broaden Stork capabilities menu The acquisitions of ProMet and Stork EWT expanded Stork's service portfolio. Read more . . . Hydrogen Analysis online for Stork labs  Read more about the newest tools in our toolbox. Life is short . . .  learn more Stork educational offerings increase every year. Find out what's coming to a conference room near you.

"Stork is our service provider of choice for testing mechanical properties of our products."

"Stork is my
x-ray service provider of choice."

"Service and quality has
always been unquestionably high.
Keep it up."

"At this time
I have no suggestions for improvement.
In the capacity
that Stork provides
service for
my company,
 they meet or exceed my expectations."

A sampling of  3000 customer responses to the
Year-End 2007
Stork survey.

^{Stork Materials Technology Quality Director David Luoni}

Stork appoints David Luoni to Quality Director

David Luoni has a vision of quality. "My overall goal in Quality, from a testing laboratory perspective, is tied to the integrity of test results obtained. In order to ensure this primary objective, the quality system must be effectively functioning in every area of the organization."

If that sounds like a challenge, it is. The Stork Materials Technology organization is comprised of independent laboratories coast-to-coast as well as Europe. Fortunately, Luoni's resume shows him to be up to the task. He has over 26 years of work in quality management behind him, including serving as Supervisor of Quality Enginering for two steel and alloy companies and administering the Nadcap Materials Testing Program for the Performance Review Institute. These jobs allowed Luoni, a trained chemist, to develop expertise on both sides of the audit process.

"One of the first steps I will take at Stork is to compare our external customer and accrediting body audits with our internal audits," said Luoni. "This will help me determine the effectiveness of our internal audits and look for opportunities for improvement. Stork labs seem to excel in the areas they're working in. I'm very impressed with the professionalism of all the people I've come in contact with and I'm looking forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead."

The challenge of long-distance managing of Stork's local Quality Managers shouldn't pose a difficulty to Luoni, who remotely supervised Nadcap auditors working in China, Japan, Turkey, and other countries from his office in Pennsylvania. "I've spoken with members of the Stork quality team and I've found them to be forward-thinking and interested in continuous improvement. We're all on the same page to determine best practices among the laboratories and develop a consistent quality message. I'm really excited about it."

As Senior Staff Engineer for PRI, Luoni was responsible for creating and implementing ISO 9000, ISO/IEC 17025, ISO Guide 25, and the Fastener Quality Act, as well as obtaining approval of the PRI organization as an ISO/IEC 17025 accrediting body. As Quality Director for Stork Materials Technology, he will supervise these and all other quality programs for all Stork U.S. locations from his office in Pittsburgh and via a heavy travel schedule. Through the Nadcap program, he worked with Stork laboratories in California, Cleveland, Charlotte, and Newtown, and  is familiar with other locations around the country. He will continue to be a Member of the Society for Automotive Engineers (SAE) and a Committee Member of ASTM, where he serves as Chairman of the E01.20 sub-committee and Secretary of the E01.01 subcommittee.

Charles Noall, Stork Materials Technology CEO, said, "We're very enthusiastic about David joining us. His Quality experience and accomplishments will allow us to refine, strengthen, and expand our own programs to the benefit of our clients in every industry."

Luoni began working with his team at Quality meetings in mid-December at Stork Materials Testing & Inspection in Rancho Dominguez, California.  To learn more about Stork's quality program, visit the Quality Approvals section of the website.

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^{Stork Materials Technology CEO Charles Noall}

Managing for Daily Improvement

A message from Charles Noall, Chief Executive Officer, Stork Materials Technology

I recently had the honor of presenting Stork staff members with awards for their outstanding participation in our business improvement initiative, Stork Empower.

Stork Empower is a Continuous Improvement program based on Lean, Six Sigma, and other successful methodologies. Our program leaders, Black Belts Christiaan Verhoeven, Gert Jaap Doedens, and Rick Sluiters, have spent countless hours over the past year facilitating Kaizen, 5S, and other events designed to assess and improve our work processes. We've seen some pretty dramatic and exciting transformations—from the Machine Shops to the Customer Service desks. And, we're beginning to hear from customers positively impacted by improved turnaround times and enhanced service. Over 32% of our surveyed customers noticed a marked improvement in Stork service, quality and delivery in the second half of 2007.

The Stork Empower team was also part of the recent MDI or Managing for Daily Improvement session, which led our managers through exercises that will help them measure and sustain new and improved processes in their departments—every day.

We're learning that the concepts behind a Continuous Improvement program like Stork Empower will spread into other areas. Ideas that bore fruit in one work process trickle into the next. Stork employees, empowered to look for better ways to produce quality work, are finding them in every department and taking responsibility for seeing them implemented. Part of Managing for Daily Improvement is keeping track of the all the places the Stork Empower "seed" sprouts, and rewarding the intelligence and creativity behind its growth.

From Stork Empower to major acquisitions in the U.S. and Europe, I would have to say 2007 was one of the more eventful and exciting years I've experienced with Stork. I'm gratified to learn that as we grow, our customers continue to express satisfaction and even delight with our service through our annual surveys. "Daily Improvement" for you, our customer, is our highest priority. Thank you for responding in such high numbers to our survey and thank you for your continued business. We look forward working with you in 2008.

To learn more about Stork Materials Technology, contact info.smt@stork.com.

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^{SMT&I's Frank Nguyen, Chemistry Laboratory Manager}

48-hour turnaround a reality in Stork chemistry laboratory

Stork's commitment to a policy of 'continuous improvement' is showing measurable results in processes throughout the company. An example of increased efficiency—and a corresponding upgrade in service to our customers—is in the recent changes to the Chemistry Department of Stork Materials Testing and Inspection in Huntington Beach.

Frank Nguyen, the Chemistry Laboratory Manager, explains the changes in his work area. "This fall our department participated in a 5S and a 'mini-kaizen.' These are events based on Lean and Six Sigma business models, with a kaizen being a program of assessment and transformation of a work process, and 5S a standardized cleanup and organizing project. These can be quite intensive workdays spent reevaluating and sometimes refurbishing a work area and process.

"One of the things that we noticed in our assessment of the Chemistry Laboratory was that our technicians were spending time running back and forth between analytical equipment for loading and operating. We rearranged the analytical equipment and instruments to allow them to reach both workstations without excess steps. We also trained our night crew to perform more of the tasks the day crew can do, so that jobs that finish on the 2nd shift can be reviewed and released without delay.

"The 5S program showed us that too much time was spent managing paperwork and  maintaining our inventory of standards. We created a better system for our technicians to find and replenish the documents we need for our customers. The final result from these events—in addition to an improved work environment—was the establishment of consistent 48-hour turnaround on chemical analyses, something we had done before, but not on such a scale. Our chemistry customers can count on 48-hour turnaround without expedited or rush charges, and we are hearing that it's appreciated. "

The Chemistry Laboratory at SMT&I specializes in analyzing parts and materials, with a heavy emphasis on supporting the aerospace industry. The job flow into this department has nearly tripled in the last five years and has expanded from focusing primarily on fasteners like washers, nuts and bolts to nearly 50% forgings and castings, materials used for airframes and turbine engines.

SMT&I General Manager Jim Riley added, "The sole intent of these kaizen and 5S programs is to improve deliveries to our customers. The Chemistry Laboratory is one of several areas that we've assessed and redesigned to open the path of work and offer our customers as much speed, accuracy and capacity as we possibly can."

Click on the links for more information about Stork Materials Testing & Inspection in Huntington Beach or contact info.smti@stork.com.

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^{Stork Herron earns rigorous  Bell Textron Helicopter testing approval}

Stork Herron earns rigorous Bell Helicopter approval 

Stork Herron in Cleveland was pleased to announce recently that the laboratory has been approved by Bell Helicopter as an authorized supplier of testing services.

Stork Herron Quality Manager Gregory Cznadel explained how the Bell Helicopter Program came to include Stork, "Stork Herron customers petitioned Bell to add Herron to their approved supplier list, which will make Herron one of the only Bell-approved labs in the Midwest. Stork Herron then took the next step to earn Bell Helicopter testing approval in early 2007 by completing a supplier profile for Bell. We spent many hours working with Bell to complete quality and accounting surveys, determine the scope of tests for which we were seeking approval, and to download and review specifications and laboratory instructions from the Bell website.

"We were able to work with our sister laboratory in California (Stork Materials Testing & Inspection) to prepare for the Bell audit and build our own procedure. When everything was in alignment, Bell sent an auditor on October 8th and we finished on the 10th.

"The final step, prior to approval, was for Stork Herron to create a test plan and demonstrate our capability. We accomplished that and were informed of our approval on December 4. We're grateful to our customers, our consultants, and all the technicians and customer service staff at Stork Herron for their participation in achieving this prestigious approval for our lab."

Stork Herron will assist Bell Helicopter with their V-22 program. The unique Vertical Take Off & Landing aircraft was first successfully flown in 1989 and is now in full production. Bell, which produced the V-22 in a strategic alliance with Boeing, describes the craft this way, "The V-22 offers twice the speed, three times the payload, five times the range, and can fly more than twice as high as older rotorcraft it is destined to replace."

Orders for hundreds of aircraft from the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Air Force Special Operations Command are process, and with sales agreements to medical transportation companies in hand, Bell Helicopter is preparing to commercially release the V-22 Osprey in the near future. The three Bell-approved portions of the aircraft are manufactured in Grand Prairie, Fort Worth, and Philadelphia. Final assembly and delivery occurs in Amarillo, Texas.

For more information, contact info.herron@stork.com.

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^{This article was originally published in Advanced Materials & Processes, December 2007}

Link to Technical Article

Fracture Surface Analysis
by Michael J. Mullen, Arthur H. Griebel, John M. Tartaglia
Stork Climax Research Services, Wixom, MI

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^{New hydrogen analyzers at Stork MMA in Newtown and Stork Herron in Charlotte}

^{Many U.S. Stork laboratories hold Nadcap approval. Learn more about Nadcap here.}

Hydrogen Analysis, Nadcap approvals, more new equipment and resources online for Stork labs

"Hydrogen Analyzers are important tools for a laboratory," said Charles Noall, Stork Materials Technology CEO. "The purchase of hydrogen analyzers in Charlotte and Newtown and their accreditation to the testing methods will have an immediate and beneficial effect on our customers in that region, enabling us to cut turnaround time dramatically. It is a good investment for us and for the businesses we serve."

After acquiring the equipment, Stork Herron Testing Laboratory in Charlotte, North Carolina, completed the necessary preparation and earned Nadcap approval for hydrogen analysis on November 5, 2007. Nadcap provides assessment and certification for testing laboratories, nondestructive testing, heat treating, coating, chemical processing and other methods and suppliers. Nadcap-approved hydrogen analysis is of particular use to aerospace and defense industries.

Hydrogen analyzers, used by chemists to analyze metals like titanium, are just some of the major resources acquired by Stork in 2007.

Stork Southwestern Laboratories purchased an Optical Emissions Spectrometer (OES), another chemistry tool to analyze samples and quantify the presence of elements, up to 40 in 12 seconds. Chemist Greg George said, "We primarily serve the offshore industry, petroleum, and pipelines, which uses superalloys in extremely corrosive environments. A material's chemical integrity is critical to perform as needed under such harsh circumstances. The OES allows us to help our customers evaluate their materials for these tasks. We also plan to pursue Nadcap approval and certification for our new base materials capabilities."

On the West Coast, Stork Materials Testing & Inspection increased their number of Fatigue Frames and added to their Stress Rupture testing capacity once in 2007 and again early this year. "Our goal is to double our current capacity in the Stress Rupture department to accommodate the strong aerospace economy," said Jim Riley, SMT & I General Manager. The Huntington Beach Laboratory also added new capability with the purchase of Alternate Immersion Stress Corrosion equipment installed in 2007. The laboratory earned Nadcap approval for this method in April of 2007.

Contact info.smti@stork.com for more information about Stork Materials Testing & Inspection.

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