Brushfoil Attains ISO 9001:2000 Certification
GUILFORD, Conn.—Brushfoil LLC, a global manufacturer of brushed films and papers, has achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification for its quality management system based on standards set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
According to Jim Parker, a Brushfoil partner, “We sought such certification to continue developing a system to help guarantee our products and services. This certification provides a greatly improved level of comfort for our customers around the world. ISO 9001:2000 certification ensures that Brushfoil has in place a quality system with a proven formula for producing a consistent, superior product. Ultimately the ISO system improves the consistency of our raw materials because we also insist on excellence from our suppliers.”
ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 157 countries with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland that coordinates the system. The North American organization that awarded ISO 9001:2000 certification of Brushfoil is Intertek Systems of Boxborough, Mass.
What ISO Means
For businesses, the widespread adoption of International Standards means that suppliers can base the development of their products and services on specifications that have wide acceptance in their sectors. This, in turn, means that businesses using International Standards are increasingly free to compete on many more markets around the world.
For customers, the worldwide compatibility of technology—which is achieved when products and services are based on International Standards—brings them an increasingly wide choice of offers, and they also benefit from the effects of competition among suppliers.
The Wave of Brushfoil Achievements
The ISO 9001:2000 certification is yet another accomplishment that Brushfoil has recently garnered. In 2006, the Southern Connecticut manufacturing plant expanded for the second time and is now triple its original size (from 5,000 square feet to 15,000 SF). Fueling this increase has been the enormous growth of Brushfoil sales, both domestically and around the world.
Also in 2006, Brushfoil was selected as film supplier for the exterior carton of the “2006 Toolbox,” an annual package supplied by Package Design magazine to its subscribers. The 1.3 cubic-foot carton (http://members.cox.net/donshookpr/bftoolbox.htm) contains packaging innovations from various suppliers.
Brushfoil’s range of capabilities includes the following:
• Brushed Films:
Laminating films used to enhance the perceived value of hundreds of “on-the-shelf” items such as cosmetics, tobacco, toiletries, confections, and pharmaceuticals. Pressure sensitive labels facestock that provide a sleek, durable appearance. Frequently affixed to household appliances, brushed labels are used in factories, restaurants, offices and homes worldwide, and take the place of metal ID plates on everything from computers, garbage disposals, refrigerators, generators, forklift trucks, etc. These labels give the equipment a look that says quality, strength and endurance.
• ULTRA Series:
Inks that are more exotic are now being used to achieve superior appearances. Standard chemically treated films aren’t versatile enough to handle some of these ink systems. The “ULTRA Series” of proprietary top-coated films are available as a clear or metallized film, in varieties of colors, in widths of up to 61½˝ of coated surface on a 62˝ web width. They also accept most of the UV inks, which have traditionally been a problem for label producers. Our ULTRA Series films have extended to lamination, and its outstanding printable topcoat is available for all of Brushfoil’s brushed finishes.
• Heat Seal Tapes:
For the many industries using cable, the color-coding, flexibility and insulation of the individual wires within a cable are essential. Our Heat Seal Tapes are made of a 22-gauge polyester film with our proprietary color coat, chemically engineered so the film will tightly stick to itself when wrapped around a wire. The tapes are available in any color and, at less than a ¼ mil in thickness, are adequately flexible and yet provide sufficient insulation so as to not interfere with other wires within the cable.
