Saint-Gobain Seals’ Meldin® Bristol Facility Certified with AS9100 International Quality Management Standard

Garden Grove, CA, April 03, 2015 --(PR.com)-- Saint-Gobain Seals’ Meldin® manufacturing site in Bristol, Rhode Island, has been certified with the AS9100 standard, an industry-recognized quality management system (QMS) for organizations that design and manufacture products within the aerospace industry. Known as AS9100 in North America, EN9100 in Europe and JISQ9100 in Japan, the prestigious certification combines ISO 9001 quality standard specifications with over 75 additional aerospace-related requisites that not only promote safety and reliability but also exceed customer and regulatory requirements. Due to high levels of risk in this industry, these quality requirements are critical to aerospace manufacturers and therefore, most major OEMs require their suppliers to be AS9100 certified.

Craig Danko, Plant Manager of the Meldin® Bristol site stated, “We are very proud of this certification and all the effort that our team put in to achieve it. It confirms the high level of quality processes at our facility and our ability to manufacture high-performance Meldin® products that have already been proven to be successful in a variety of aerospace applications. This certification is a key part of our strategic plan to further grow our business in this industry and also assures our existing customers of our commitment to service.”

Saint-Gobain Seals’ Meldin® site underwent a rigorous audit by a third party accredited registrar in order to receive the certification. Per regulated procedures, the registrar will conduct annual scheduled audits on the site to verify if it has continued to maintain compliance of the quality management standard. Several key benefits of being AS9100 certified for both the organization and the manufacturers it supplies include:

1. Consistent product delivery and traceability.
2. Improved relationships internally (team member awareness) and externally (customer confidence).
3. Knowledge of organizational risks.
4. Gaining prospective business or enhancing existing ones.

In addition to the recent AS9100 certification, the Bristol facility has also been awarded with TS 16949 (quality management system pertaining to automotive-related products) and ISO 14001 certifications (an environmental quality management system). The site is Saint-Gobain Seals’ primary manufacturer of their Meldin® 7000 thermoset polyimide and Meldin® HT thermoplastic material product lines, which are widely used in jet engines, de-icing systems, actuators and other aerospace applications. Aerospace application examples include Meldin® 7021 bushing material on the slip joint system of the Delta IV Heavy Rocket and Meldin ® 5330 landing gear shock strut bearings and sliding rings used in the flight test program of a military and troop transport helicopter. The product lines are utilized in other industries such as automotive, electronics, life sciences and industrial.

Saint-Gobain Seals’ other global sites in Garden Grove, California; and Kontich, Belgium have also maintained their high level of quality management, being AS9100 and EN9100 certified respectively. The AS9100 certification in Bristol is their latest achievement.

To learn more about Saint-Gobain Seals’ Meldin® product lines, other product lines and its strategic business unit, visit www.seals.saint-gobain.com, follow their Twitter(@SGSeals) or connect on LinkedIn.

About Saint-Gobain Seals (www.seals.saint-gobain.com)
Saint-Gobain Seals is a strategic business unit under Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics’ Engineered Components SOA (sector of activity); our parent company, Saint-Gobain, is one of the world’s top 100 industrial groups and is celebrating its 350th Anniversary of manufacturing excellence in 2015. With more than 50 years of manufacturing experience and an established global presence (with strategic sites in Garden Grove, California, USA; Kontich, Belgium; and Minhang, Shanghai, China), we offer a diverse range of innovative sealing and polymer solutions:

• OmniSeal® Spring–Energized Seals
• OmniLip™ PTFE Rotary Shaft Seals
• Rulon® High-Performance Fluoropolymer Compounds
• Meldin® 7000 Thermoset Polyimide Materials
• Meldin® HT High-Performance Thermoplastic Materials

Other products include Fluoroloy® (high-performance custom-formulated compounds), cup seals, hydraulic seals, metal seals, v-packings, piston rings, Marathon® (valves and vacuum pump diaphragms), Transband® (PTFE creepage band), custom parts, polymer bearings and stock shapes.

The majority of seals and polymer components manufactured are custom designed and matched with the best materials to optimize their performance in various applications and markets.