Total product integrity. At Sheppard that's more than a slogan hanging on the wall: It's a day-in, day-out reality.

Statistical process control (SPC) governs processes throughout our entire company. We control, monitor, and test every single aspect of our manufacturing operation.

As a result, when you work with us, you know you have developed the best assembly possible. With total traceability. And total repeatability.

The breadth of our quality program is so sweeping that it often begins at our suppliers' locations. We go to suppliers' plants and audit their quality control procedures. We'll even help them meet our quality needs by teaching them SPC procedures.

Our quality program encompasses all of our raw materials. All new equipment and machinery. All rebuilt machinery. All manufacturing processes. All quality control processes. And all testing procedures.

We initiate a quality plan which provides SPC studies for all key dimensions, as well as for every operation of that part. Quality Control's input into engineering helps to verify your design.

Every operator monitors every manufacturing operation at his or her work station. Every department has an SPC station where the progress of all pertinent manufacturing operations is recorded on process control charts. Also, we have some of the most sophisticated inspection equipment available, including computerized sizing stations and coordinate measuring machines.

We audit our control charts, evaluate our strategy and efforts, then fine-tune our program. All process control charting is stored on computer and all capability studies are filed in the mainframe.

For you, the resulting peace of mind is invaluable, since we can document everything in the event you ever have a product integrity question.

And, since all process control plans are only as good as the tools that measure the controls, all measuring devices undergo the same relentless scrutiny.

Further, all instruments and gages are calibrated and certified on a regular basis, both by in-house experts and independent sources.

All master gages are inventoried in a special crib area, temperature and humidity controlled, calibrated, and ready for use at a moment's notice.

The results of our efforts? Measurable excellence.

We have all superior ratings by our customer quality audits. By investing in quality from the beginning, our experience shows our products to be more competitively priced.

We prefer to invest our money in prevention as opposed to detection and we prefer a capable process rather than inspecting the good from the bad.

In today's global competition you can't afford to be second best, which is why you can't afford not to have this level of quality. After all, what is the cost of a lawsuit? What is the cost of a recall... or worse, a life?

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