Belief in the value of international quality management systems, like ISO 9000:2000, among Business Managers remains high, according to a recent survey of the attitudes of US Managers carried out on behalf of leading international quality management consultants, IMSM.

International Management Systems Marketing Ltd (IMSM Ltd. was founded in 1994 to provide businesses with the practical expertise to add value through quality systems and efficiency. From its base in the UK, the company has now developed a strong network in Europe, US, Canada, South Africa and Australia.

IMSM’s team of auditors are fully trained and hold the recognised IRCA (International Register of Certified Auditors) qualifications. In addition, the company is an active member of the British Quality Foundation, and the British Plastics Federation. To date IMSM Ltd has helped more than 5,000 organisations around the world to achieve ISO 9000 certification.

IMSM Ltd. has helped more than 5,000 organisations around the world to achieve ISO 9000 certification

So what are the benefits of international quality management systems such as ISO 9000: 2000? Do they improve efficiency and gain competitive advantage? Are the benefits real? Is it worth the management time it takes to implement them? Do companies only look at acquiring certification for reasons of compliance or for a status tag?

In an effort to resolve these questions IMSM Ltd recently commissioned a survey in the US to assess managers’ opinions about the true value of certification to businesses in the current economic climate.

The results provide clear evidence that quality management systems are of great value. Two in three managers believe that International Quality Management systems can help win more business and well over 80% agree that they increase a company’s efficiency.

An analysis of the main problems facing their businesses revealed that over 80% of these were in areas where certified quality management systems can help. These included poor quality control, staffing problems, purchasing policy problems, process management and cost control.

So how do these statistics translate into tangible examples of the benefits of ISO certification? A look at three diverse companies from different parts of America provides us with some interesting case studies that seem to support the survey findings.

Fixed cost solution
Contemporary Carbide Technologies (CCT) has just completed a move to a larger facility in Florida, twice the size of its existing one. CCT manufacture tungsten carbide tooling that includes wear parts, punches, cold heading nibs, extrusion dies and extrusion mandrels. The customer list includes major companies in the aluminium extrusion, fastener and copper drawing industries.

CCT Vice President Dave Gee heard about IMSM’s fixed cost ISO Certification service: “The biggest attraction of IMSM was the fixed cost. Lots of companies market ISO but the cost can spiral out of control. IMSM gave us an excellent service and we have recommended them to other companies.”

And Dave Gee believes that CCT has benefited enormously from having ISO 9001 certification: “Certification has been of huge benefit to us because it has been instrumental in attracting new customers. Of the internal benefits I would say we have seen the most positive effect on our documentation. We now have specific targets and goals to achieve each month and so it has instilled a discipline to the way we do things.”

High standards
“Traceability has been the biggest benefit of ISO certification for us. We can now trace any problems in the organisation far more efficiently. Overall it has helped us attract some of the larger companies and reassures our existing customer base of the high standard of our management systems,” says Suzy Palmer, Manager, Viadon LLC.
Based in Monee, Illinois, Viadon LLC specialises in die cutting, mfg tape and moulded products and has customers throughout the US, Canada and Mexico. Lead assessor Jerry Evans carried out an annual audit, which Viadon LLC passed with flying colours and he described the company as “Brilliant!” And the feeling was mutual. Suzy Palmer says: “We thought the IMSM service was wonderful. In the beginning the whole process seemed very confusing, but all the assessors were very good at explaining and simplifying things so it was accessible to us.”

Preferred supplier
“Certification is allowing us to establish ourselves as one of the ‘Go to’ companies.” Liege Codd, Chief Information Officer at Alliance Electronic Distributors, Inc (AED, Inc) The first aim of any company is to make sure there are no obstacles in the way of potential and existing customers choosing you as their preferred supplier. With the demand for vendors to be ISO certified increasing to the point that it is now a common part of the vendor selection criteria in the electronics industry, not being ISO compliant has become just such an obstacle.
In terms of recognising and satisfying client’s needs AED Inc has always been a “Go to” company, and since its inception in 1999 has established itself as one of the West Coast’s largest stocking distributors of hard drives and CPUs.
When ISO certification started becoming a growing client demand, AED Inc was quick to react and successfully achieved certification in October 2002. Liege Codd is very clear about what ISO has and will do for the company:

“The benefits to AED Inc are multifaceted:
• Streamlining the business process has allowed us to become more efficient
• All the staff understand what the company and clients expect from them
• Our client’s needs are being satisfied in a manner that exceeds their expectations”

AED Inc supplies electronic components to an international customer base as well as those more local to its Southern Californian headquarters. And it was the international experience that IMSM has in ISO certification that attracted Mr Codd. “Its (IMSM) international and multi-industry experience enabled them to guide us through the process in the most effective manner. Drawing on the vast experience that lead assessor Dave Marsden brought to the process enabled us to become certified in a timely and non-disruptive manner.”

These are just three clear examples of the way in which ISO certification can benefit businesses in any industry and of any size. IMSM Ltd is embarking on an extensive global exhibition programme in order to educate companies in all industries about ISO certification. As the survey illustrates, and as our clients will testify, the benefits are real and with IMSM’s help are attainable.

Contact Amy Bentley on +44 (0) 1666 826065 for a free copy
of the Quality Management in the USA report (Published
September 2002), or see: www.imsm.com