Peter Paul Electronics Co., Inc. is proud to announce ISO 9001 certification. PeterPaul started formally implementing ISO 9001 Certification in Y2005. Over a 5-1/2 year span, the companies operating processes were documented, and modified where necessary, to not only comply with ISO 9001 certification requirements, but to establish a robust Quality Management System (QMS). Importance was placed on efficiency and effective quality management system rather than have a certificate on the wall, so seeking ISO 9001 certification was secondary. The PeterPaul senior management team and the Mangiafico family supported the effort over the five and a half years.
The “system” was implemented essentially in the background, invisible to the plant personnel. Internal audits were performed, and improvements made. One key element in the implementation, was to marry the QMS to the Lean Transformation and 5S methodology PeterPaul was also implementing during the same period of time. The QMS documents the standard work developed using 5S methodology. The QMS is an integral part of the transformation instead of a standalone system and some companies choose. A very tangible benefit of documenting the processes is that
- Processes are standardized, and
- New personnel can be trained to the same standard process instead of relying on people’s memory and “tribal knowledge.”
Review of the QMS was also integrated into company strategic planning and the progress reviewed.
The ISO 9001 Certification standard requires six processes that must be documented and controlled:
- Document Control
- Control of Quality Records
- Competence, Training and Awareness
- Control of Nonconforming Product
- Corrective Action
- Preventive Action