Introduction

Founded in Athol, Massachusetts, and still headquartered there, L.S. Starrett employs around 2,000 staff worldwide across nine manufacturing sites, including in the UK, Brazil, China, and the Dominican Republic. Starrett’s European base in Jedburgh, Scotland, required an electronic Quality Management System (QMS) to efficiently manage document control and streamline their processes.

The challenge

Starrett's document control system had become extremely labor-intensive, leading to duplication of effort and time-consuming management. The company struggled to maintain a growing list of documents and revisions, often needing to retype and manually distribute them. This outdated process was leading to inefficiencies and made it difficult to maintain a history of document changes. The need for a centralized electronic system was clear.

Finding the right solution

Starrett identified Ideagen as the ideal solution to meet their needs. The decision was driven by the following key factors: 

• With its user-friendly interface, Ideagen’s modules were easy to access, helping the company gain complete control of their quality management processes. 
• The system ensured comprehensive document control – allowing for documents to be created, stored electronically, and maintained in Microsoft Office, with historical changes tracked. 
• Ideagen could integrate with various file types, such as JPEG, PDF, and DRG, making it fully compatible with the company’s existing electronic documents.

Implementation and impact

Implementing Ideagen at Starrett transformed the way they managed their quality system: 

• Eliminated document control inefficiencies while the creation, distribution, and review of documents became significantly less labor-intensive. 
• Provided greater visibility of documents and records across the organization, ensuring all staff were aware of current document statuses. 
• Achieved ISO 9001 compliance: the system's control over the QMS impressed BSI assessors, ensuring compliance with ISO 9001 and boosting the company’s quality management capabilities.