Caterpillar awards first European SQEP certificate
Bolgers, Ireland’s largest exporter of fabricated sheet metal, has become the first European fabrication company to receive s Silver Certificate for Caterpillar’s Supplier Quality Excellence Process (SQEP).
In response to an unacceptable level of warranty costs, Caterpillar introduced the SQEP standard for all international suppliers to ensure that quality sits at the heart of all relationships. Currently Bolgers is the only European fabrication supplier to be recognised by Caterpillar with its ‘silver’ level certification, which is a tremendous achievement due to the hard selection criteria in place.
To achieve this status, Bolgers had to demonstrate best in class quality assurance, ensuring a rejection rate of less than 200 parts per million (PPM). To celebrate this highly acclaimed certificate a presentation was held on 18th March at Bolgers’ Smithstown Business Park plant. Presenting the award was Steve Ellis of Caterpillar Global Purchasing, and among the invited dignitaries was Willie O’Dea TD, Minster of Defence.
Ian Bolger, joint managing director, said: "The Caterpillar Certified Supplier Award is only given to manufacturers who adhere to stringent production and quality guidelines set forth by Caterpillar. … [This] is an outstanding achievement that we’re extremely proud of. We deliver world class fabrication solutions and this certificate is rightly in recognition to our great team and work with Caterpillar where we consistently achieve 98%+ on-time delivery."
