Manufacturers across a wide range of industries face many common challenges in their efforts to meet rising quality standards. The growing mix of global expansion of operations and outsourcing lend themselves to an increased focus on quality management.

Many organizations are deploying either industry standard quality management methodologies such as Six Sigma and ISO to reduce costs, shorten development times, and improve product and process quality. These standards bring a focus on customer satisfaction and continuous improvement and take a process-centric approach towards quality management.

Many companies today are turning to formal quality systems to assure consistent product quality during design, manufacturing, installation, and servicing. According to the Institute of Validation Technology, the impetus for this trend is many-fold. “With the wide-spread demand for high-quality and well-designed products, consumers are actively looking for the best product and service. Industry can respond to this demand by implementing a well-defined, structured quality system.”

Why implement a formal standardized quality system?
Many manufacturers have to comply with ISO 9000 or other quality requirements to continue to be a preferred supplier to their customers. Other reasons for implementing a quality system include regulatory and competitive concerns.

Successful implementation of a quality system provides significant opportunities for improved service and customer satisfaction, improved productivity, efficiency, and cost reduction, all of which translate (hopefully) into improved market share. However, for ultimate realization of these benefits, the company must follow a well-structured plan for planning, organizing, and implementing a quality system.

Standardizing Quality Systems in the Manufacturing Industry - a look at ISO
The ISO was established in 1947 to develop international standards for everything from electronics to management systems. Having over 13,000 standards currently in place, ISO has created the auditing and certification process known as ISO 9000, which is a series of international standards developed by quality experts from around the world for use by companies that either want to implement their own in-house quality systems or to ensure that suppliers have appropriate quality systems in place. The ISO 9000 standards are developed and maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). International standards promote international trade by providing one consistent set of requirements recognized around the world.

ISO is a model for quality assurance which has been adopted as a national standard by more than 80 countries and is recognized worldwide as the comprehensive international standard that defines management systems that assure the ability to satisfy quality requirements, enhance customer satisfaction, and meet applicable regulatory standards.

ISO 9001:2000 is the standard that provides a set of standardized requirements for a quality management system, regardless of what the user organization does, its size, or whether it is in the private, or public sector.

The year 2000 version of ISO 9000 carries a revised title, which no longer includes the term “Quality Assurance.” This reflects the fact that the quality management system requirements specified in this edition of ISO 9000 address quality assurance of product as well as customer satisfaction. There are several types of certification designations under the ISO umbrella by industry/category.

ISO vs. TQM
Unlike ISO, which requires regular audits by an outside party, Total Quality Management (TQM) programs can disappear without notice. According to Bishop, about three-quarters of significantly sized American manufacturers have attempted some form of TQM. Of those programs, about four-fifths have failed to produce any significant results and most of them have simply disappeared.

Adds Bishop in his article, “Why ISO Should be a Company’s Guidepost” for Manufacturing and Technology News, “If a firm is ISO certified by an accredited registrar, you can be certain that it is in compliance with the key elements of the standard and that the continuous improvement loop described above is alive and working. If a business wants to remain competitive, it must have a robust quality management program. ISO 9000 is the only globally accepted, all-purpose model for quality management in the world.”

To find out more about the manufacturing industry and international quality standards, access this issue’s useful links and industry events.

SOURCES:
International Organization for Standardization
Institute of Validation Technology
Manufacturing and Technology News