About Marmon/Keystone

Above all else, Marmon/Keystone has always been committed to one concept: Quality.

The concept of quality is nothing new at Marmon/Keystone. In fact, for nearly a century we've proven our commitment to this concept. With every order, we give you the expertise of knowledgeable sales people, the selection of a full-range inventory containing over 9,500 sizes and grades of pipe and tubing, on-time deliveries, and our ongoing desire to meet and even exceed your expectations. This commitment to quality has made us a leader in the industry, serving over 30,000 customers worldwide. We have formalized the value-added service that has been our cornerstone all these years. We call it the Quality Improvement Process.

Our Quality Improvement Process 

The Quality Improvement Process is a company-wide program that places the responsibility for quality in the hands of each and every one of our employees. All employees are encouraged to be proactive in their attitude toward quality, and this attitude has helped to shape the culture at Marmon/Keystone.

The Core Concepts of the Quality Improvement Process

The Quality Improvement Process encompasses the following basic objectives:

• Achieving quality by meeting all customer requirements.

• Lowering the cost of ownership

• Managing the cost of quality

• Stressing prevention vs. inspection

• Making quality the responsibility of every employee

• Maintaining zero defects as the performance standard

The Cycle of the Quality Improvement Process 

At Marmon/Keystone, all matters relating to quality are examined using the following fundamental elements of quality improvement:

• Identifying and prioritizing defects

• Monitoring defects

• Analyzing root causes

• Taking corrective action to eliminate causes of defects

Marmon/Keystone's Investment in Quality

Reflective of Marmon/Keystone's staunch commitment to the Quality Improvement Process is a solid investment in the necessary resources. We invested an initial one million dollars in the program, and our ongoing investment exceeds one million dollars per year. In addition, our people have committed a significant amount of time and energy.

Examples of this commitment include the instruction in quality improvement in which every employee participates. Once their training is complete, each employee becomes a member of one of our 100+ Quality Unit Teams - special proactive groups which continually meet to act as steering committees for long-range process planning and quality improvement. These groups initiate over 300 improvements (called PSBs, short for Problem-Solution-Benefits) annually.

Based on our employees' performance, each is recognized and rewarded accordingly, which serves as an extra incentive for quality work and builds a sense of pride in one's job.

Benefiting Our Customers is Our Ultimate Goal

By eliminating defects altogether, we can lower the cost of ownership - which includes the time and money involved in inspection, scrap, rework, safety stock, administrative overhead, warehousing, warranty and field repairs. We also can better manage the cost of quality, which includes the cost of finding a defect and the cost of fixing it.

Our Quality Improvement Process ensures:

• Customer satisfaction

• Total conformance

• No rejections

• Less re-work

• Less wasted time

• Money saved

   

The Bottom Line

With every order you place with Marmon/Keystone, you can be assured you'll get a reliable, precise product with dependable service and unsurpassed delivery. Such reliable service and ongoing commitment to quality are what make Marmon/Keystone the recognized industry leader.