I want you to tell your team that I am extremely grateful for the way Sur-Seal treats me as a customer. I just wish we had more suppliers like you.

3M is known globally as the innovators in paper and film face stocks, adhesives and tapes designed for high performance in a variety of applications. They have a long history of identifying and solving difficult problems. For nearly half a century Sur-Seal^® has integrated many 3M products into its own designed solutions for its customers. As you know in recent years Sur-Seal has focused on serving only the most innovative HVAC, Lighting, Electronics and Medical equipment manufacturers globally. While very diverse, these markets share the need to develop and produce cutting edge technologies that will provide a competitive edge. They all require exceptional, dependable and superior performance from their components. Sur-Seal has a strong history matching these demands to unique material solutions.

Recognizing each company's past successes and important positions in the marketplace, 3M and Sur-Seal have taken steps to work more closely moving forward. Recently, 3M has made Sur-Seal an authorized full line convertor and distributer. This will now allow Sur-Seal to have direct access to 3Ms complete line of products, as well as 3Ms enhanced technical support for unique engineered solutions. This will add to Sur-Seals already strong package of product and design expertise.

Both companies are excited about this new arrangement and what it will bring to customers in our focused markets. 3M technologies include high performance label materials, adhesive transfer, double coated, VHB and foam tapes as well as bonding films. Applications for these materials include identifying, bonding, protecting as well as electrical shielding and conducting. These are common applications in Sur-Seal target markets. Sur-Seal is committed to providing its customers with quality, high performance products that deliver dependable service at a price that makes its complete solutions the best value in the industry. This new arrangement with 3M helps us to continue that promise long into the future.

Sur-Seal^® Gets the AME Manufacturing Excellence Award

2/11/2013

The Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME) has awarded AmCham member Sur-Seal with its 2012 Manufacturing Excellence Award.

In the last quarter of 2012, Sur-Seal, member of AmCham’s Monterrey Division, was recognized as a North American manufacturing plant that has demonstrated excellence in manufacturing and business operations. 

“As a team member, you want the best for your company,” Regional Sales Manager, Jorge Lozano emphasized.  “Trends of growth and success depend on many factors.  One of them is revitalizing our structure by achieving enterprise excellence through the innovation of our people, processes and partners.  Sharing among the manufacturing industry and organizational best practices will close the virtuous circle of excellence.”

The primary focus of this award is to acknowledge continuous improvement, best practices, creativity and innovation.  Sur-Seal had to show evidence of the plant’s policy deployment process, the role and relationship of team leaders and all associates in achieving the company’s goals and objectives, its approach to staff recognition and rewards, the safety program, its efforts to identify and eliminate waste, and the innovative processes followed to meet customer expectations. 

There were two specific areas impressed the AME assessment team.  First was the 20-point assessment system used to rate performance using elements such as leadership, customers and vendors.  Every year the entire organization rates each element using a radar chart for year-to-year comparisons.  Second was the unique use of Legos to create a 3D image of Sur-Seal’s value stream map.  It was kept up-to-date as the actual facility layout transformed from its current state to the future state.

Sur-Seal is a privately held firm founded in 1965 with its facility in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.  Since 2007, it has undergone a complete lean transformation by switching from a job shop to cellular manufacturing to meet the needs of customers around the world by leading the industry with engineering solutions in plastics, rubber and die-cut gaskets products, which are sold to the HVAC, lighting, electronics, food and medical products markets.

American Chamber/Mexico congratulates Sur-Seal’s much deserved achievement with best wishes for many more years of success and collaboration.

"Thank you for everything. As a default we go to Sur-Seal with everything because you guys are unmatched when it comes to great service and product"

You can read the article here.

Sur-Seal® To Hold Open House & Ribbon Cutting

Cincinnati, Ohio Friday, May 18^th 2012 – Sur-Seal® will host an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony at their headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio on Thursday, May 31^st. The event marks the completion of energy efficiency improvements made to the facility, including installation of new energy efficient HVAC units, insulation, an energy efficient roof and energy efficient lighting funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Tours of the facility will be available from 10am -11:30am, 12-1pm, Ribbon Cutting and Speech by Deputy Chief of the Office of Energy Chad Smith will begin at Noon.

Sur-Seal®, a second generation family owned corporation, is a leading provider of high-quality engineered gaskets, seals and related rubber and plastic parts for a select set of original equipment manufacturers. Sur-Seal’s® expertise in material selection for sealing applications is delivered by 100+ associates and a blended sourcing network that spans the globe. To find out more please visit www.sur-seal.com

Contact: Elizabeth Vleaminck, Business Development Specialist  

Putting the Pieces Together at Sur-Seal and Acuity Brands

        When Mark Preston joined the Acuity Brands Lighting team, the company was a lot less agile and just starting a lean manufacturing strategy throughout the entire company. Acuity is the largest lighting company in North America.  But it didn’t come easy….

Preston began working on kaizen at TDK where he was mentored by 5 Japanese sensei over his eleven years there.  He traveled to Japan for TDK lean leadership training more than 20 times, then furthered his knowledge at Respironics by learning Demand Flow Technology. Armed with these learnings and experience Preston led the transformation of the Kennesaw, Georgia Respironics plant, still one of the leanest operations producing oxygen concentrators today. Preston moved his experience into the supply base at a Maryland supplier called Action Products with management consultant Patricia Moody and Honda veteran Dave Curry, adapting the Honda 13-week BP program (Powered by Honda, Nelson, Mayo and Moody) into a repeatable supplier development process. 

The entire article can be viewed online at Blue Heron Journal.