Monday 20 January 2014

An AS9100 Consultant Can Aid In Gaining Certification

By Judy Sullivan


The search for the best method to run a company has led to a series of changing approaches that experience great excitement and then fade away, each successive technique leaving its mark on the field. None has had as great an impact as the so called quality movement which made a fundamental and lasting change, and ensured ISO standards acceptance globally. Gaining certification under ISO standards can be daunting however, making an AS9100 consultant a solid investment.

Many associate the beginning of the so-called quality movement with the decade from 1970 to 1980, following the surprise and meteoric rise in Japanese products sold in America, from stereos to automobiles. In addition to the emotional and political outcry at the time, a serious search began to identify how the shift to foreign products had occurred. The notion of quality management was immediately seized upon, and a series of process promulgated.

It is important to realize the initial proponents of this quality centered process were Americans, Doctors W. Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran working independently. Their ideas were published in the United States as early as 1939 and 1951 respectively, but were largely ignored by American managers. Dr Deming focused on statistical process control, while Dr Juran believed management training was the key.

Throughout all the various ways to implement a focus on quality there is a central theme that has fundamentally changed the definition of quality and the method for incorporating into a business. It is the notion that quality is defined by the customer, and consistency in product or service is the implementation key. While consistency alone does not yield quality, a quality product or service must be produced consistently.

The international community also had a vest interest in ensuring products and services were acceptable to all consumers, to facilitate a growing international trade. This began with an organization charged to develop guidelines to help manufacturers and service providers with a guide. The release of ISO standards in 1987 marked an internationally accept set of guidelines for manufacturing products and delivering services.

In industries like aviation, which enjoyed a great reputation for safety, standardization was essential for competition between carriers. All flying operations were conducted by checklist, ensuring consistent operations internationally. Support functions, however, were conducted independently in each country, with greatly varying processes, and the performance of these functions could greatly impact flight operations.

The international travel requirements that have grown with international commerce make it even more important that everyone involved with air transportation be on the same level. Not only does ISO certification mean a company has become reliable and efficient, it engenders confidence in the consuming public. People can travel and ship material without concern that certain providers might be substandard.

But in the world of ISO certification, there are high standards which must be met in every aspect, from documentation to execution, and that is difficult to implement and maintain. The value of going through the certification process is to ensure customers and partners alike that they are getting the very best. An as9100 consultant can lead most efficiently to such success.




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