| ISO 9001 Certification |
|
| January 2006 | |
|
Since their last assessment, the company has continued to meet the requirements of their customers in an increasingly competitive market. To their credit the company maintains their systems despite the reducing margins but their customers clearly appreciate its existence in that it provides them with a high level of confidence that they will receive a consistently good level of service and product quality.
The management system was found to be well defined, maintained and robust. The commitment of the senior management is clear and the acceptance of the staff has reportedly improved over the recent months. They have come to recognise that the existence of the systems and processes are there to ensure consistency and see that they are there as guidance and training aids. The internal audit process was found to be structured and generally up to date. The audits are carried out by the company’s consultant therefore independence is assured. The need to adhere to a schedule, if greater value would be gained from auditing areas that showed that they were in need of review, was discussed and the company should consider using their monthly meetings to identify any such areas. Never the less, a good deal of reliance can be placed on the audit process and the results gained there from. Customer complaints, corrective actions, non-conformances and credits were reviewed and found to be well managed in all cases. The QI system is working well and is clearly of value to the company. Regular analysis of the cases is carried out and common root causes can easily be identified. No Conditions of Registration were raised during the previous assessment. The H&S system was reviewed and, from the evidence sighted, appears to be adequate for a company such as this and seems to meet the basic requirements of the HASIE Act 1992 plus its subsequent amendment. The organisation has made a number of improvements since the last audit and the system is reportedly working smarter as a result. There were no specific areas of concern but points of particular merit included the training system and competency reviews, the two-level supplier reviews and the biennial Technical Briefings for their customers during which they are invited to complete a survey as to their level of satisfaction with the company as a supplier. Compared with the last assessment the company has continued to maintain and improve its systems and they appear to have gained benefit from this assessment. |
