MassMEP’s ISO 9001:2008 Collaborative was conceived as a way to make the certification process more accessible to small and medium-sized manufacturers. The project brings four to eight companies together in a collaborative setting to help share costs and ideas.

The program takes members through the process of establishing or upgrading their quality management systems to the ISO 9001:2008 standard through seven monthly meetings, on-site consulting days, and related homework assignments.

Universal Plastics, of Holyoke, Massachusetts, is a family-run company of approximately 55 employees. For more than 45 years, it has specialized in custom thermoformed plastic, a process that converts plastic sheets into a variety of custom and detailed products. Universal was one of seven companies that participated in the first MassMEP ISO Collaborative in March 2011, which was presented by the MassMEP and its partner Exolytic, and sponsored by the Associated Industries of Massachusetts.

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