Sun-Mar's
Quality is Official!
(This
article is from the Composting Times, 1999, a newsletter that circulates
to our dealers)
Earlier
this year Sun-Mar got a major boost to its assurance of quality
when our manufacturing unit, Fibre Laminations Ltd. obtained their
ISO 9001/ QS 9000 Registration. The tip off was when a large white
banner appeared outside the factory proclaiming in very large type
"QS 9000 Registered".
Are
these mysterious banners the corporate equivalent of a stork on
the lawn? "Composting Times" figured we are in an ideal
position to find out. So, on your behalf we captured Gord Cormick,
who is in charge of engineering, and should know all the answers.
CT:
What is the ISO 9000 standard?
Gord:
ISO 9000 is a quality standard developed by the International Organization
for Standardization (ISO). The idea was to develop an international
standard that would be applicable to all industries.
CT:
Where does QS 9000 fit in?
Gord:
Over and above ISO 9000, the automotive industry wanted to come
up with an added set of quality standards which they could use for
their supplier networks. They developed this jointly with ISO.
CT:
What is involved in getting registered?
Well
it isn't easy. It took us 18 months to work out what changes we
needed to make, and get everything in place. The last phase is a
pretty rigorous audit conducted by a third party registrar who gave
us the seal of approval.
CT:
What are the ingredients you needed to put into place?
Gord:
There are five main components which work together to make sure
our processes keep improving. The first is a Continuous Improvement
Programme (CIS), where we collect data on key measurables such as
scrap, and then figure out improvement programs. The second, Management
Review, involves regular review by Management. Third, Internal Quality
Audits are carried out. Fourth, we have had to establish work instructions
for all key operation. These detail how each task is done in a step
by step fashion. Finally, we now have cross functional teams in
place for problem solving, design review, CIS, Internal auditing
etc., which encourage ideas and solutions from different perspectives.
CT:
This all sounds very nice, but what benefits should our Dealers
and Customers see from all this activity?
Gord:
Good question, because the benefits are there but they are part
of a long term process. The main thing is consistency, and product
improvement. We have been known for ages for the quality of our
fibreglass production. Our QS 9000 registration just means that
the consistency will keep getting better. It also means that we
should be able to fix any problems quicker than ever before. The
ISO 9001 designation means that we are also working on the design
process itself, which will ensure that even fewer faults will end
up in the final product.
CT:
What time frame are we looking at?
Gord:
The ISO/QS 9000 program is a journey that we've started on, but
we're never going to arrive. It demonstrates that we have made a
major commitment to continuously improving our processes, which
in turn will improve the value of Sun-Mar products to our customers.
There
you have it. Now Sun-Mar's legendary quality is signed, sealed and
REGISTERED! If you have any quality questions, please keep
us informed.
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