Success Story: IMC Enables Railroad Company to Lay Tracks for Continued Success

ORX Railway Corp. is a manufacturer of rail wheel sets. The roots of ORX are buried deeply in the railroad industry, planted over a century ago by co-founder and president Glenn Brandimarte’s grandfather – an Italian immigrant who found employment quickly on the tracks and dedicated his life to his work.

The tracks for ORX’s success were set by nearly a century of experience, dedication, and innovation which still drives the company today.

SITUATION

ORX was required to carry out internal quality audits to verify compliance with the Association of American Railroads, Specification M-1003, and their own current quality assurance practices. IMC, a NIST MEP affiliate, was contacted to perform the audit. IMC contracted with a third-party consultant and former employee who performed previous audits in order to help with the latest one.

The company was able to use the audit process and results to develop an action plan to strengthen their processes and make the entire system more efficient and effective.

SOLUTION

IMC and its third party consultant conducted a two-day internal audit of ORX’s quality management system to verify compliance with stated requirements. The Quality Assurance System Evaluation Checklist provided by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) was used to conduct this audit. Afterwards, a written report was prepared with any non-conformances identified and the findings reviewed with the company.

ORX was able to identify and implement corrective action for nonconformances and successfully pass the AAR audit of their system. The IMC provided additional continuous improvement coaching as well.

RESULTS

• $500,000 capital investment
• $10 million in retained sales
• $10,000 in cost savings