Examples of ISU Assistance to Business/Industry

A north central Iowa manufacturer saved warranty costs through a project with the Iowa Companies Assistance Program. The company manufactures a water pump fitted to an imported tractor. Without explanation, several water pumps failed. After disassembling the pump, ISU scientists found a granular substance inside. Using scanning electron microscopy, they identified the substance and established that the sediment causing the failure did not come from the company's manufacturing process.

A major meat processing facility in Iowa sought to become ISO 9002 certified, a level of standards used only at one or two other known meat processing facilities in the country. The Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) worked with the company and provided them with employee training, internal auditor training and documentation training, along with a gap in audit and implementation planning. As a result, the company has made improvements in the plant and has reported an edge in marketing.