Puritan Newsletter - November 2008

Customer Newsletter
November 2008

Working Internationally

Puritan is pleased to provide you with an update of some key accomplishments in building customized test and automation equipment for valued customers. Here’s the latest news on our international projects and performance.

New Certification for International Projects

Puritan Automation has been trained to provide “CE Certification,” which helps us to comply with the current European Union Standards.

We’ve completed this important milestone, because we’ve extended our sales to projects in Ireland and Australia. And soon the rest of the world!

A “CE” symbol, like the one shown here, will now go on pieces of equipment manufactured and assembled here at Puritan. This will further show our commitment to developing effective, safe and compliant machines for international use.

Risk assessment involves all aspects of the machine and/or an operation. We can identify all ways machine operators could injure themselves while working with some piece of equipment or detail. It’s much like a “FMEA” (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) where you identify the problem, risk the severity, assess occurrence likelihood, and develop a method to control, reduce, or eliminate it.

Four members of our team completed the rigorous training course with Safetytec of Northville, MI. We were trained and tested on theory and hands-on principles of risk assessment.

Risk Assessment on International Dial Table

Here you’ll see our Design Engineer Karl Schiesser using those risk assessment skills to analyze a refurbished dial table for electrical connector assembly. Puritan is preparing to ship this custom-built machine to Ireland in December.

We also are shipping the latest edition of in-vehicle test units for Ford Motor Company to Australia. They are going to be used at the Ford Proving Grounds in Lara, Victoria, Australia. Future units will be shipped to Belgium for Ford Europe, Ford Japan and Ford India.

Puritan built these test units at both of our specialized facilities: the Wixom plant for assembly and programming and our Western Michigan plant for design and electronics production. We utilized a common framework for all of the units. The testing methods allow Ford to compare vehicle performance criteria from one area of the world to another.

Working Virtually for Customers Local and Afar

We’re also using a virtual office to collaborate with international engineers and developers.

This technology allows us to share real-time information during the development and build processes for our international and local customers.

Using this virtual office (an online project management portal), each customer will have a password protected space. This allows us to collaborate and utilize a number of important project elements, including prints, photos of the build as it progresses and a correspondence folder with vital documents.

We update this information on a daily basis and provide customers with the ability to access their files 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We provide meaningful, up-to-date information for internal customer meetings regarding their projects. They can be reviewed immediately prior to a presentation or even during a meeting. Since customer files are password-protected, only the authorized team members at Puritan or the client company have access to the information.

What Can We Do For You?

Whether for production or research and development testing, Puritan can design, build and deliver a solution for your needs. Puritan test systems are used throughout the world to support manufacturing assembly, end-of-line and in-line test, as well as product development and validation tasks. We also can design and build automation and assembly equipment ranging from lean manufacturing cells to fully automated systems. Let us know what we can build for you.

Want to know more about our ability to develop applications for your global operations? Please call us at 248 866 1114 and ask for John Bledsoe, Puritan’s Chief Operating Officer and General Manager