East Penn Manufacturing Co. is pleased to announce that its quality systems have been certified to ISO/TS 16949:2002 requirements. This certification was the result of an audit conducted by members of the National Quality Assurance (NQA) on November 10-14, 2003. This new certification is applicable to products manufactured for the Automotive OEM’s who are members of the International Automotive Task Force (IATF). The certification to ISO/TS 16949:2002 (which replaces QS 9000) completes the Management System upgrade which began in December 2001 with the certification to QS 9000 and ISO 9001:2000. ISO/TS 16949:2002 is based on the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 and is supplemented by the IATF requirements.

The achievement of this Quality Management System standard is a major accomplishment for East Penn and required the cooperation of employees at all levels and functions. East Penn is one of the select few global companies to accomplish this certification requirement. East Penn employees commitment and dedication to excellence and quality through continual improvement enables this company to produce some of the world’s highest quality products backed by worldwide quality standards.

East Penn is a leading manufacturer of high quality lead-acid batteries and accessories for the automotive, marine, telecommunications, industrial, commercial, and stationary markets. The company’s quality systems for its entire 480-acre complex have been certified to ISO 9001:2000 and ISO/TS 16949:2002 requirements. The company’s Wire and Cable division has been certified to ISO 14001 Environmental Management System requirements. The company claims to have the largest, most modern single-site manufacturing facility in the world. For more information contact East Penn Manufacturing Co., Inc., Lyon Station, PA 19536 or visit the company’s web site at www.dekabatteries.com.