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Quality |
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ISO 9001
bigHead fasteners give you piece of mind because they are manufactured by one company in one location controlled by one quality system. We are passionate about the reliability and the consistency our products offer and we have put systems and controls in place to support this every step of the way.
bigHead maintains a Quality Management System (QMS) that has been approved by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance and is certified ISO 9001:2000. This ensures we meet our high quality standards, every time. Take a look at our Quality System Map to see the level of detail we go to in every aspect of our business.
Six Sigma and continuous improvement
bigHead is committed to continuously improving manufacturing and quality processes. To do this we measure our quality performance and strive to beat it, year after year. As a manufacturer we have the ability to control and improve the whole process and one of the measures we use to determine our performance is Six Sigma.
Six Sigma means there are only 3.4 product defects per million opportunities. The bigHead scores for 2007 and 2008 are below:
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2007 |
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2008 |
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Defects per Million Opportunities |
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38 |
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18 |
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Yield % |
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99.997% |
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99.998% |
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Process Sigma |
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5.45 |
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5.628 |
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Innovation & Technology
In 1966 bigHead was founded on original design to meet a customer's need. Since then we have been committed to innovation and continuous improvement. Driven on by a loyal and long-serving team working closely with customers, we can now draw on a deep reservoir of expertise and knowledge in both product design and production technology. bigHead has consistently worked with the most demanding engineers at world class companies such as Sunseeker Yachts, Bentley, and Aston Martin. Today, bigHead is also an approved supplier to Rolls Royce/BMW.
The bigHead Weld Process
Critical to the reliability of a bigHead fastener is the consistent strength of the weld. Each weld is very closely monitored during the production process to ensure all key parameters are met and the optimum weld is achieved. bigHead's automated welding technology is designed to ensure a perfect weld every time:
- Multiple high energy cyclic pulses
- High compression force
- Maximum fusion
- Low stress, crack-free crystalline structure to the finished weld
- Fully controlled environment
Every production run is tested to make sure that the weld is stronger than the steel itself, as
Fig 1 shows.
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| Fig 1 - a selection of bigHeads following DT (Destructive Testing) tensile strength testing; in every case the bigHead weld is much stronger than the surrounding steel. |
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bigHead Superior Weld Strength
bigHead has always prided itself on the strength and consistency of the bigHead weld and we regularly test competitors' product to benchmark quality. The following graph shows a recent test result for an equivalent competitor product, clearly demonstrating the superior strength of the bigHead weld. Please click on this link for the full test report
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Production Technology
In 2005 bigHead completed construction of the Duplex Welder.
A unique machine, Duplex is fully automatic and can make 2,400 bigHeads per hour.
Sensors continually check 8 critical parameters to ensure zero defects.
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Protection against corrosion
To ensure our bigHeads can be relied on over time we only use the highest quality steel from approved suppliers. bigHeads are made with either 316 Stainless Steel or Mild Steel.
- High quality 316 Stainless Steel (marine grade) bigHeads withstand the toughest of environments without corroding.
- Economic Mild Steel bigHeads are zinc plated and clear tri-passivated to protect them against corrosion.
Performance data
bigHead measures the critical performance characteristics of its fasteners, such as torque and tensile strengths. We are happy to share this data with you on request.
Regulatory Compliance
ROHS compliance
The zinc plating and tri-passivation we use is ROHS compliant.
Reach
bigHead is compliant with REACH regulations. We can confirm that we can place all our fasteners on the International Material Data System (IMDS)
Initial Sample Inspection Reports (ISIR)
bigHead is happy to provide ISIR's on request
Environmental Policy
bigHead is committed to minimising the environmental impact of the company's activities and products.
We continually look for ways to reduce our waste and increase recycling both in the factory and the office.
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