Korvis, an automation design and contract manufacturer, provides turnkey services to a variety of clients.

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Since Korvis Automation Inc. received ISO 9001:2000 certification in January, its status as an automation product designer, integrator and manufacturer has been taken up a notch. “Once we got started on the process, we improved what we did quite a bit,” says Vice President Rod Holmquist. “We highlighted our weaknesses and we were able to
fix them.”   

The five-year-old automation design and contract manufacturer, based in Corvallis, Ore., provides turnkey services to the semiconductor, life sciences, flat panel display, rapid prototyping, electronic storage and inkjet manufacturing markets. Its core technologies include precision motion systems and controls, machine vision, opto-mechanics and automated inspection systems.   

“Specializing in precision systems, Korvis designs, prototypes and manufacturers products in a supporting OEM role,” the company says. “Our customers leverage Korvis’ extensive system level design and manufacturing knowledge, allowing the customer to focus on their core business objectives.”   

“What sets Korvis apart from our competitors is the ability to design and manufacture complex automation,” Holmquist says. “We are the best in the business. Most design houses don’t manufacture well and most manufacturing [companies] don’t design well. We are the hybrid of those two.”

Korvis’ capability to do both stems from its senior management. Engineers by education and early career experience have allowed them to develop impressive projects and build strong manufacturing resumes, he says. This experience has also allowed them to develop Korvis in a way that emphasizes and merges both the design and manufacturing disciplines.        

“We look at practically everything we do as a project,” he says. “We expect all our people to be project managers to some extent and this applies to the engineering, manufacturing and support staff. Everyone has tasks and schedules and each Korvis employee is expected to be responsible for them. When everyone is accountable and performs, ultimately, our customers win.”

Achieving Consistency
As a result of the ISO registration process, the company tightened procedures and improved problem areas. “We have a lot of skilled engineers,” Holmquist says. “Engineers, by and large, like to focus on engineering and are somewhat resistant to documentation and procedures. By instituting ISO based business practices in a pragmatic way, we were able to achieve the consistency a company like ours needs without adding significantly to what we required from our people.”

However, he adds, the company did not have to make any major changes to its processes.    

“The core of the process was how it was before,” he states. “In most cases, we just wrote down what we did and made sure we were serious about doing it all the time.”    

The company’s primarily domestic and Asian customers requested that it receive the certification, he says. “What we’ve seen is that as soon as you’re able to say you are ISO, potential customers understand immediately that you perform above a certain threshold and so it has been able to get us through more doors,” Holmquist says.    

“Being a start-up company in Oregon and not having a well-known name, having ISO registration adds instant credibility.”

‘Communication is Key’
The first thing Korvis does with first-time clients is spend time with them – either in person or on the phone – to get to know the company better, Holmquist explains.

“There are times when a customer might not be a right fit for the company,” he continues. “We really try to understand their process, their requirements, and their level of expectations and we strive to be very candid about ours.

“Communication is key and it is important that both Korvis and our potential customer are realistic,” he adds. “Realistic expectations relative to what a tool can do, [the] cost, and how long before it can be delivered determine whether we’ll be able to begin a relationship.

“If we both have similar expectations, then we’ll both end up happy at the end of the project.”
    
Growth Plans
The company’s goal is to grow between 25 to 35 percent every year, “primarily by continuing to do what we’re doing,” Holmquist says. “We don’t have complicated formulas and recipes for growth. We’re just trying to be practical and do things right.”

The company’s focus is on-time delivery, a key to making customers happy. The turnaround time for a newly designed system is usually between six and nine months, quicker for older systems.

It also has a hands-on management team that is involved in all aspects of the manufacturing process. “We’re making decisions quickly to ensure projects stay on schedule,” he says.