Articles
Success Stories
Schuler Machine and Tool
Schuler Machine and Tool is a family owned machine company that performs limited sub-assembly work. They were awarded a large contract by a multi-national corporation for a complex part requiring metal working, painting and assembly. This was the largest contract in the company’s history. The large multi-national corporation asked Schuler to establish a quality plan for this part and also required them to be ISO 9000:2000 compliant. Schuler had never constructed a detailed quality plan and their existing quality system was limited in scope.
Schuler asked IPI for short term help to develop a quality plan and for longer term consulting and training to put in place an ISO 9000-based Quality System. An IPI quality professional worked with Schuler personnel to develop inspection plans, material plans, sub-contractor qualification procedures (for a powder paint supplier), a gauge qualification and certification system, and other necessary work needed to successfully begin the production for the contracted part.
Next, IPI began work to develop a fully compliant ISO 9000:2000 QMS that not only met the requirements of the customer, but also improved the way Schuler performed their operations. Schuler’s customer was pleased with their work; the improvements in their quality system and resultant production output of the part. These changes will result in additional work with this customer and improve their opportunities for other similar business.
Project Duration: 1/30/04 – 5/31/04,
Point of Contact: Kevin Shuler/President
Telephone #: (502) 637-4700
APL Logistics
APL Logistics, located in Shepherdsville, KY, handles 99% of the outgoing logistical requirements of Dow Corning. They operate a 3 shift 5 day business, with a limited staff of management personnel.
Dow Corning required APL to be ISO 9000 certified. APL decided to do this work themselves, but the initial document review by the registrar showed glaring gaps in APL’s Quality Management System. All the work on their QMS had been done by their General Manager and no one else in their operation knew about ISO or its requirements. APL had only two months to fix their system and prepare for their certification audit.
APL called IPI for help in training personnel as internal auditors. During the training we noted many deficiencies in their QMS and suggested to them that these be corrected before their certification audit. Based on this and a short timeline, IPI was asked to consult on the certification effort. We had only one month to help APL be ready, so. IPI consultants rearranged schedules and allocated the maximum time possible to this company. Items lacking in APL’s system were addressed and employees were trained on the ISO procedures and APL QMS. Management received additional support on how to administer the program and conduct management reviews. IPI also assisted in conducting a pre-Certification audit to insure all the pieces were in place.
The certification audit occurred 43 days after the initial phone call from APL. The original auditor from the certifying body was amazed at the improvement in APL’s QMS from the document review conducted only 7 weeks before. APL passed their audit with only 4 minor non-conformances, received their certification on time, thus satisfying Dow Corning, their only customer.
Project Duration: 10/08/04 – 11/30/2004
Point of Contact: Walt McGee/President
Telephone #: (502) 921-2011
Accuride
Accuride is a Tier 1 automotive supplier providing wheels to the major automotive companies. They approached IPI to assist in their transition from QS 9000 to TS16949. Accuride procedures between the corporate office in Evansville, IN and the plant in Henderson, KY were not being followed and if they were followed would not meet customer nor company needs.
IPI conducted Overview training for both the corporate staff and the plant employees. Working sessions allowed both groups to revise operating procedures to reflect actual practice and customer needs. Accuride was very pleased with solutions derived in the overview sessions and with the quality of the instruction. As a result of the work, Accuride hired IPI to assist in the implementation of TS 16949 in their Henderson, Kentucky plant. Certification was awarded in late 2004. IPI is currently implementing TS 16949 in two more Accuride plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Project Duration: 03/11/04 – 10/31/04
Point of Contact: Robert Nida
Telephone #: (270) 826-5000
International Crankshaft
International Crankshaft, Inc. (ICI) is a Tier 1 automotive supplier, located in Georgetown, KY. ICI, like all automotive suppliers, is challenged each year to meet quality and other performance requirements while reducing their price.
ICI needed to convert from the QS quality standard and upgrade to TS16949. They had limited resources to effect the change. Additionally, ICI had implemented ISO14000, but had lacked expertise and resources to maintain and upgrade their quality system.
IPI developed a consulting and training plan for ICI. We partnered with this company to successfully implement the conversion to TS16949, allowing them to be certified to the new standard. A major part of the conversion included the introduction to process-based auditing which greatly contributes to the continual improvement goal of the company.
IPI conducted a full system review of the ISO 14000 environmental system. Recommendations were made to change portions of that system that would contribute to an improved system that would insure standards and regulations would be met and to allow continual improvements including reduce cost.
ICI found that they could outsource their internal auditing for both the TS 16949 standards and ISO 14000 standards and reduce their cost. ICI, due to dwindling resource brought about by their quest to lower cost, had fallen behind in their audit program IPI stepped in to fill this gap and provide an extra set of eyes to ensure their continued compliance to standards, and support their continuous improvement program.
Project Duration: 02/23/04 – 11/30/04
Point of Contact: Wayne Ward/Quality Manager
Telephone #: (502) 868-0003
Nobel Metals
Nobel Metals is a Tier 1 automotive supplier, assembling the structural portion of doors. They were expanding their workforce and adding to their supervisory staff.
Nobel promoted new supervisors from within; these individuals were very technically competent, but lacked leadership skills needed be fully successful in their new position.
IPI had provided both TS 16949 and ISO 14000 training for their internal auditors, so Nobel asked IPI to conduct a Supervisors workshop to aid in the development of skills needed for new supervisors. IPI conducted a 9 week program, with 2 ½-hour sessions each week. This schedule was customized to work around the peak work hours of the participants. The interactive sessions covered communications, conflict management, time management, goal setting, motivation, and other leadership tools. Since sessions were frequent and supplemental materials provided repetitive learning opportunities, supervisors quickly picked up needed skills. These skills were immediately applied in the workplace, making the likelihood of the skill retention much greater. Supervisors discussed their approaches to applying the learned skills and reviewed what did not work, improving the application of proper skills.
The new supervisors came up to speed rapidly, and one new supervisor received another promotion before the end of the session. IPI provided follow-up sessions at intervals of one, three and six months to insure that learned skills were being implemented and maintained.
Project Duration: 05/28/03 – 10/31/04
Point of Contact: Kristina Mellen
Telephone #: (502) 647-2420
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - QMS
Is an ISO-based 9000 system suited for my business?
An ISO 9000 based system provides the framework for any organization that has a genuine commitment to improvement of products, services and the processes used to provide them.
Won’t an ISO 9000 based system create a bureaucracy and a mountain of paperwork for my company?
A properly designed system will organize and reduce the documentation needed to run your business. It will allow you to understand your business as you never have before. As part of your continual improvement program you can search out ways to reduce all kinds of waste, rework and non-value added activity.
What are the ISO Quality Assurance Standards?
The ISO 9000 family of standards (including TS 16949) are an internationally accepted framework on which a quality management system can be based. The 9000 standard is prepared and revised regularly by ISO (International Organization for Standardization).
What are the benefits of certification?
You will gain a better understanding of how your organization works which will lead to improved results and eliminate causes of repeat problems. These independent audits will provide you with a focal point for maintenance and improvement in your system.
Certification (or registration) of your QMS by ISO conveys to other organizations (world wide) and your employees that your organization is committed to quality. Certification does not guarantee or certify product quality but it does objectively demonstrate you have the ability to meet customer requirements and achieve customer satisfaction. In some cases, certification (or compliance) is a contractual requirement for doing business with new or existing customers.
Periodic follow-up audits are required once certification is obtained. You must show that you not only are maintaining the requirements of your system and the standard, but provide evidence of continual improvement. External audits assure that you maintain focus on compliance to your system and provide customers with a mechanism that will lead to activities for further opportunities for improvement.
How much will it cost to become ISO 9001:2000 Certified?
There is no one answer to this question. The costs depend on many factors. These include:
- The condition of your present system
- How long it will take you to develop your new ISO-based system
- The amount of resources you have to apply to the program
- Whether you hire an outside consultant
- The amount your registrar will charge.
To get a more accurate assessment of the cost required you may want to start with a Gap Analysis. Grants and assistance are available that can account for half of these costs.
How long will this process take?
This varies by organization. Typically an organization will take 3-9 months to develop and implement an ISO 9001:2000 quality management system. The actual registration audit usually involves less than a week of audit time after the system has been in effect for at least 3 months.
Is maintaining an ISO 9000 based system costly?
You will find that your ISO system will become a way of life as you operate your business. The review and auditing process will be a way to insure continual improvement and insure that improvements stay in place.
Will my new ISO-based system displace existing systems?
If the ISO system developed is “real”, it is your system. Effective portions of your existing system can, and should, be incorporated in your ISO-based system. If not, the resulting ‘system of documentation’ will probably go out of date before it ever gets used or it will become a source of great pain and anguish every time someone tries to use it to manage or improve the business.
What are the steps leading to ISO certification of your QMS?
- Management commits to the development of an ISO-based system.
- Management initiates an overview workshop to insure all levels of the organization understand the standard and the roadmap to establish certification.
- A gap analysis if performed to understand the status of the existing system versus the standard.
- Action plans are developed to implement the system and to fill the gap.
- The system is implemented and managed for a minimum of three months.
- An optional internal or external pre-assessment is performed to assess readiness.
- An external registration audit is performed by a certified ‘registrar’.
- You celebrate your success!
- You use your system as a vehicle for improvement.
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