Adopt the Status Quo

ISO 9000 is rapidly becoming an industry standard but is it for you?

By Demian Faunt

Brand X Labeling company recently received a phone call from a distributor threatening that ei-ther Brand X become ISO 9000 compliant or the distributor will take its business elsewhere. This scenario is becoming increasingly familiar as more and more companies are adopting what has become the benchmark in quality systems, the ISO 9000 quality management system.

Many companies become ISO certified to control the quality of products and services. Some need ISO 9000 compliance to become more competitive. Some companies have to obey a regulatory body that requires certification and some companys' customers simply expect it and won't do business otherwise.

But what can be gained by becoming ISO 9000 compliant?

"It insures consistency in manufacturing and a certain level of quality in a product. Many distributors won't even do business with a company unless they are ISO certified," said Dick Dennis, vice president of sales for Latitudes, a Moore company based in Iowa City, Iowa.

When implementing the ISO 9000 system standards within a company, all major processes that are currently employed within a system are fully documented and analyzed to ensure effectiveness in producing a quality product. The system attempts to create synergy and standardization within the company so that from dockworker to CEO, everyone is working to-ward the same goals.

"Workers take more pride in their work when they know that they are ISO cer-tified," said Dennis. "They know that they are putting out a quality product."

"It's definitely worth it," said Doug Ward, quality assurance coordinator, FP Horak, Bay City, Mich. He warned, however, that "if a company is looking to get certified, they should contact a consultant so they don't miss anything."

Each company custom designs its own program to meet ISO regulations, de-pending on its inadequacies. However, there are 11 general working requirements to being certified: leadership, product design, purchasing, contract review, production, inventory management, inspection and testing, non-conformance management and measurement and service.

These categories can further be broken down in subcategories, such as policy planning, procedural, instructional, personnel, organizational, documentation, record keeping and technological and resource aspects.

"You are more or less setting up your own rules, so don't make it too hard to follow," advised Doris Tur-ner-Gates, quality assurance ISO representative manager, Tapecon, Buffalo, N.Y.

The process of becoming ISO compliant is an arduous one, because many factors come into play.

The two main factors are cost and time, with the amount of time it takes to become compliant varying from nine to 14 months and costs soaring well into the tens of thousands of dollars.

Another factor is how much processes need to be changed to meet certification standards. Some companies don't have to change that much, where others have to totally restructure pro-cesses to meet ISO requirements.

"It's all a matter of the efficiency of the system that is already in place," said Turner-Gates.

Yet another problem that can arise is getting the company's suppliers to jump on board. Most companies that wish to become certified are required to buy materials and equipment only from ISO 9000-compliant suppliers. This can prove to be difficult because a lot of companies deal with smaller companies that aren't cer-tified—companies which have neither the need nor financial capabilities to become compliant. Often, in order to become ISO compliant a company will have to switch to larger, certified suppliers.

After You're Certified

Once the ISO 9000 quality system has been developed and im-plemented, internal audits are performed to make sure the system is working properly.

It is good practice to have the workers write the procedures and regulations. It then falls on the managers and auditors to fine-tune the procedures, making sure necessary changes were made.

"You have to listen to the people who are doing the job because they know. They do it everyday," said Turner-Gates.

After a company passes the in-ternal audits, accredited external auditors are then called in to evaluate the effectiveness of the quality system.

If the auditors like what they see and all the systems and pro-cesses are up to ISO 9000 quality standards, they will officially certify that the quality system has met all of ISO's requirements. They will then issue an official certificate which states that the company has been in-spected and deemed compliant.

"When you get certified, it's im-portant to celebrate together as a company. Our company threw a big party and made sure everyone was in on the accomplishment. Having everyone feel like they contributed and like they're part of it is very important in maintaining the standards," said Turner-Gates.

If the registration is successful, periodic surveillance audits will be performed every six months for three years to ensure that the standards remain intact. Failure to pass these audits results in a loss of certification.

"After a company is audited, the tendency is to let things go. This is a definite no-no. The system has to be maintained," said Turner-Gates.

"It requires a substantial commitment," added Dennis. "It just doesn't happen overnight, be prepared to spend a lot time and money to meet the standards."

Tapecon obtained re-certification for both its Buffalo, N.Y., and Rochester, N.Y., plants last May.