Success Stories

QMS Training Helps Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing Reach New Heights

Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing

Founded in 1987, Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing is a family-owned contract manufacturer of electronic circuit board assemblies, cables, harnesses, and ground support equipment for commercial and military customers utilizing traditional and fiber optic technology.
 

They have manufacturing facilities in Dickinson and Killdeer, North Dakota, as well as Kerrville, Texas. Their customer markets include aerospace and defense, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Crane Aerospace.

Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing (KMM) had an unexpected loss of their Quality Systems Management Coordinator.  This event heightened the importance of needing deeper understanding of Quality Management System (QMS) knowledge throughout the organization.
 

KMM had awareness of opportunities to enhance the company’s AS9100D Quality System.  KMM leadership has the desire to transfer the AS9100D knowledge base to a greater number of its top leadership team and all employees.  KMM’s customers require AS9100D- Aviation, Space and Defense, QMS certified suppliers.  KMM reached out to Impact Dakota for a direct path to success because of Impact Dakota team's QMS knowledge and AS9100D aerospace experience.  KMM’s goal was to enhance their QMS, employee knowledge of the QMS, efficacy of the system, and maintain their AS9100D accreditation through their registrar.

Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing (KMM) expressed interest in redefining their AS9100D Quality Management System and the employee awareness of how an effective QMS affects them daily.  Impact Dakota met with KMM leadership and discussed the company's vision of an enhanced QMS.  KMM partnered with Impact Dakota to complete an assessment against the AS9100D standard to identify enhancements for AS9100D QMS robustness.  That QMS assessment set the stage for an effective partnership to transfer the QMS knowledge that would set KMM top leadership team up to best understand and transform their QMS to meet their and their customers' needs even better.
 

Impact Dakota upskilled 19 KMM employees in AS9100D internal auditor training and held an audit facilitation training to their established audit plan.  KMM held the remainder of their annual internal audits utilizing the upskilled/re-trained employees.  These events took place prior to KMM's successful AS9100D registration audit.
 

KMM leadership utilized their employees' heightened QMS awareness to implement meaningful changes to their departmental procedures and processes.  "I'll never forget the meeting we saw the whole KMM leadership team just light up because they completely understood their QMS and how their core processes interrelate.  They all chimed in to identify the suppliers, inputs, outputs and customers of their process through a SIPOC exercise during our documentation workshop.  It was just an awesome moment when I saw smiles on every single one of their faces in the room at the same time.  I still remember thinking, 'THAT is what it's all about' and knowing this team is going to the next level with their organization now!"  Jodie Mjoen, CEO of Impact Dakota.  This ensures the QMS matched the customer flow downs and KMM business requirements.  Impact Dakota collaborated with KMM policy/document owners to enhance the documents and integrate the policies into one robust Quality Management System.
 

KMM had a super successful AS9100 registrar audit following these activities that resulted in zero nonconformance findings.  The whole leadership team walks tall now knowing they can speak fluently with their team, customers, and regulatory authorities about their organization's processes and compliance.
 

Impact Dakota remains available for QMS support after implementation is completed.  As part of the MEP national network, Impact Dakota supports client QMS inquiries about areas such as audits, customer technical flow down review and integration of requirements, regulatory authority audit support activities, follow up, or other client technical support requests that arise within the KMM team.

By partnering with Impact Dakota, KMM was able to educate, enable, and empower their team. 19 Team Members were trained and certified AS9100D Internal Auditors. KMM now has enhanced awareness to the external and internal issues relevant to their QMS.
 

In recognition of their aerospace manufacturing expertise, Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing (KMM) secured a spot as one of The Boeing Company's top suppliers for 2023.  KMM was recognized with the Outstanding Performance for Boeing Commercial Airplanes award at Boeing Supplier of the Year conference this past August in Orlando, FL.


KMM leadership team completed their latest AS9100 registrar audit with zero nonconformance findings and maintained their current AS9100 certifications.
 

By Maintaining QMS AS9100D certification results KMM is retaining 100% of their Sales and 100% of their employee count.  Also, by maintaining the QMS certification, KMM has gained 10% additional new sales and added 15% new employees.
 

Investments:  $181,475

$15,000                 QMS Enhancement - Training Contract

$162,200              QMS Enhancement - Implementation

$4,275.00             BizX Assessment

Cost Avoidance:  $181,475
 

KMM executive leadership team made the decision to train their whole leadership team about AS9100 QMS compliance and the KMM QMS.  This reduces risks of being single threaded on who has a comprehensive knowledge of AS9100 and KMM QMS compliance.  KMM leadership team now has the knowledge to manage their QMS.

"Having the support of Impact Dakota to elevate our company knowledge and application of QMS is invaluable. Being able to work seamlessly and effectively between our sites, programs, and departments while continually improving through the power of the proper application of QMS has helped to make us a more effective, robust, and meaningful employer, supplier, customer, and community partner."

— Erika Bauer, President


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