Location: Arvada, Colorado Date: July 31-August 3, 2023 Time: 8:00 am-5:00 pm (over the course of 4 days) Platinum Registration in Conjunction with Gladhill Associates International will be providing an Exemplar Global Accredited ISO 9001:2015 instructor-led Lead Auditor course. Please contact Hayley Brodish at our office to register or to obtain details 303-639-9001. Space is limited! There are only two seats left!
Due to the Russian Federation’s attack and invasion on Ukraine, certifications are not being supported for Russian Federation entities. Platinum is requesting that our clients doing business in or purchasing materials from the regions in crisis formally consider the risks of these business activities. Platinum Auditors will assess risk management systems to ensure that risks are analyzed and mitigated to reduce impact to product and service quality.
As you may already know, the industry is anxiously awaiting the publication updated Aviation, Space and Defense (ASD) Standards. We anticipate that these will be released early in 2022. One of the main reasons for the changes being made to the standards is to better align with International Standardization Organization (ISO) accreditation and certification requirements as well as International Accreditation Forum (IAF) requirements. These specifications are currently used in ISO certifications and their incorporation improves consistency and simplicity for the ASD industry. The Standards being adjusted include: AS9101, AS9104/2, AS9104/3 as well as the Online Aerospace Supplier Information System (OASIS) tool. These changes will require adjustments from certification bodies on how audit days are calculated, as well as how audits are planned, recorded and reported. There will be a transition period for accreditation bodies and certification bodies, so changes will roll out slowly and methodically.
As part of the upcoming relaunch of the Online Aerospace Supplier Information System (OASIS), the IAQG digital team and development partner Intact are offering free webinars for key user groups. Register to participate in one of these live webinars and receive all relevant information concerning the new OASIS platform and to participate in the live Q&A sections. All webinars will be recorded and made available after the live webinar dates. If you are unable to participate, you can still register to be informed about where to watch the recordings as soon as they are available. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER for the supplier/general user Webinar.
Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't. – Pete Seeger Many times, in business, clients will provide a request for quotation (RFQ) with terms and conditions (Ts & Cs) and/or additional requirements including quality and product requirements. These requirements might be attached directly to the RFQ, referenced on the RFQ, or found on a website where they can be easily accessed and updated. Ts & Cs and requirements stipulate the expectations placed on you as a supplier by your customer. Although admittedly these contract documents are a bit of a snore, keep in mind they are legally and contractually binding to you. As a result, it is important that your management system has a robust process to ensure that you not only know about the Ts & Cs and any additional requirements, but also that you confirm your organization has the ability to satisfy these requirements prior to the acceptance of the order and before the release of your products and/or services to your customer. Nonconformances are on the Rise More and more as a certification body we are seeing issues with management systems that do not have a robust and effective process for the review of customer requirements resulting in an increase in certification nonconformities in this area. When management systems derail in the contract review process, nonconformances can be sprinkled throughout the entire management system resulting in incomplete risk analyses, incorrect supplier selection, incomplete flow-down of customer requirements to suppliers, data control issues, missed production operations, and poor customer communication. The list of issues it can cause goes on and on. It really can end up a Pandora's box. We are always looking for solid processes to ensure that you system consistently meets your customer’s requirements. Process Improvements If you have improved your requirements review process, but you have older long-term agreements that were reviewed the old way, repeating the review process on these older agreements and their stated requirements may give you valuable information that you could have missed during previous reviews. Improving the process and ensuring that all existing contracts are re-reviewed will not only protect your organization ultimately avoid future customer issues. Customers Expect Conformance For the Aviation, Space and Defense (ASD) industry, a new standard (AS9018) is being developed to help certification bodies like Platinum respond to major nonconformities identified by customers, including failures to flow-down and follow terms and conditions and quality/product requirements in contracts. We are already experiencing ASD customers using this approach and have addressed the ability to follow-up on customer complaints in our revised Certification Requirements document. So far, we’ve seen this used on…you guessed it…customer flow-down requirements. Walking through your management system with an eagle’s eye and truly understanding, evaluating, and adhering to your current and potential customer requirements can be the difference between a system that really works and one that doesn’t throughout all the management system processes in your organization. It is the difference between making your customers happy and giving you repeat business and not. Focus your next internal audit on this process keeping in mind the impact of this process on both your organization and the end customer will help you ensure that your system is truly working as intended and is meeting your customers’ expectations.
We have just received notice that the Rocky Mountain Trade Adjustment Assistance Center (RMTAA) has several openings for Colorado manufacturing firms in all types of industries. They are looking for firms who have experienced declines in sales and employment over the past year. If that describes your organization, please read on for a program that may be just right for you! The RMTAA is an independent, non-profit organization funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration to manage trade adjustment assistance. They are one of eleven national non-profit organizations that provide these services to eligible firms. Platinum has worked with this organization for services related to certification for several of our clients. They have approved us in their system and have seen the success of the program. There are three phases to the program and once accepted, the RMTAA will typically work with you for 3-5 years. Phase 1 of the program begins with an application. The RMTAA prepares this application on your behalf. Phase 2, an analysis plan. The RMTAA works with your management team to develop a plan to identify projects that will most benefit from cost-sharing assistance. To assure your buy in – you are asked to contribute 25% of the plan development cost. Phase 3, implementation. Upon approval of the plan, you move forward with projects that with strengthen your business (which may include ISO and AS9100 preparation and certification) . According to the RMTAA, your cost depends upon the size of your organization the nature of the proposed projects and the availability of program funds. The program offers 50/50 cost sharing of projects to improve your organization’s competitive position, but is capped at $75,000 of government matching. Which means you can invest up to $75,000 in improvement programs. The costs and commitments are transparent and established up front. Again – this is time sensitive, but it is a resource available to Colorado firms and may be some thing worth exploring. For additional information, please reach out to Tania Bahr-Torline, she’s a Project Manager who can help you better understand the program and its offerings: 303-499-8222 x 3, tania.bahr-torline@colorado.edu.
Quality standards trace their roots back to the Military. Decades ago, governments needed specifications to ensure that items procured from different vendors worked properly when brought together. Standards facilitate international trade by providing a common language with common expectations. They help companies identify precisely “how” they work, and they help organizations consistently implement the best way to run the business. The need for efficiency continues to influence the evolution of standards, because: “If you can measure something, then you can improve it.” The first national quality management system can be traced back to the BS 5750 Standard introduced in 1970 by the United Kingdom. This provided the predecessor to ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, which introduced the ISO 9000 series in 1987. Today in the United States, the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to TC 176 is responsible developing and for maintaining standards for quality system management. ISO 9001 Certification: The 9001 standard can be applied to any service or any manufacturer. It is applicable to any- sized organization, ranging from the one-person shop, to an international company. In many cases, ISO certification enables small organizations to cast a bigger shadow, by securing Government contracts that require ISO certification as criteria for acceptance. Different standards apply to specific industries, such as:
Platinum may perform certification assessments off-site from client facilities when the entire facility works electronically, when personnel support the facility from remote locations and during emergency situations when it is unsafe or when travel and contact with personnel is prohibited by government agencies. We have defined processes for perform these audits using information and communication technologies (ICT). Clients who have not experienced and ICT audit may need some assistance. The following information has been developed to help you prepare and to answer any questions you may have: Remote audits are audits that are performed off-site using electronic tools. The assessments cover everything that would be confidently covered on-site. Certification bodies use these audits when a client operates electronically or when there is a need to temporarily audit remotely due to unusual circumstances. How do remote audits work? They are very similar to on-site audits. They are conducted over the same duration. They work when you share your screen with your audit team – so we simply watch as you display records and information to us. We can supplement the on-line screen share with off-line reviews of documented information sent via email or made available through sharing sites like drop box. What about Confidentiality and Security? We will perform your remote audits from private locations (or from a part of your facility, when possible) to keep your information as secure as possible. Through data viewing, we will not be having direct access to your systems. All documents and records are protected, controlled and destroyed when no longer needed. Tools to Consider Some communication tools include: Go to Meeting, WebEx, Zoom, Skype, Join.Me, Teams, and Google Hangouts. Scanning tools: Tiny scan or other phone apps Technical Issues We anticipate that there may be connectivity issues. Your auditors have been trained to help troubleshoot things that may come up. Please have attendees mute their phones and computers unless they are needed. If necessary we will reschedule or use alternate methods. What do I need to do? 1. Identify and Set-up Screen Sharing We will ask you what software you will use to connect to your Lead Auditor/Audit Team. If you do not use collaboration software, there are quite a few types of software available; many are free. Headphones will help with audio. 2. Plan for sharing paper records It may be necessary to supply images of hard copy records. Luckily, these can be captured using mobile phone applications such as tiny scanner which can be displayed on your computer emailed to your auditor. Your auditor will tell you what records are needed in advance of the audit. 3. Identify who will participate in the audit Please prepare a list of individuals that will participate in each part of the assessment (using the Assessment Plan/Schedule). Please include first name, last name and titles. Please send this to your auditor. It will not be necessary to have all personnel available during the audit, but they should join prior to their session. Leadership should be available during their session and during the opening and closing meetings. 4. Plan for site tours Where necessary, we will ask you to take us on a virtual tour of your facility. Mobile phones, tablets, webcams will work for this purpose.
Your customers seek out quality, professionalism and excellence when choosing suppliers or service companies. As an ISO 9001 accredited business, this automatically puts you at the top of the list, inspiring confidence and trust in your customers Your customers are seeking you out because your management system – and therefore your way of doing business – has been deemed to be the best by the world’s foremost accreditation authorities. Why Customers Demand a Certified System It shows that your business strives to be consistent and accountable Reassures your customers that your products and services are of high quality–satisfies their product and service requirements Why Stakeholders Demand a Certified System A formalized system = increased efficiency = cost savings Increases productivity Increases quality and reduces rework costs Gives you the competitive advantage Opens up access to new markets, both domestically and globally Breaks down barriers to international trade, opening up new, global markets All of these benefits add up to increased customer satisfaction and confidence, repeat business and in many cases, customer referrals, which means more business for you. Join The Millions Over one million organizations worldwide are independently certified, making ISO 9001 one of the most widely used management tools in the world today. In addition, many major purchasers actually require their suppliers to hold ISO 9001 certification. Dig into the details To facilitate an understanding of accreditation, the following statements are from Joint Communique issued by the International Accreditation Forum and ISO: For the defined certification scope, an organization with a certified quality management system consistently provides products that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, and aims to enhance customer satisfaction. Notes: Products also include services Customer requirements for the product may either be stated) for example ion a contract or an agreed specification) or generally implied (for example in the organization’s promotional material, or by common practice for that economic/industry sector). Requirements for the product may include requirements for delivery and post-delivery activities. What accredited certification to ISO 9001 means To achieve conforming products, the accredited certification process is expected to provide confidence that the organization has a quality management system that conforms to the applicable requirements of ISO 9001. In particular, it is to be expected that the organization: has established a quality management system that is suitable for its products and processes and appropriate for its certification scope analyzes and understands customer needs and expectations, as well as the relevant statutory and regulatory requirements ensures that product characteristics have been specified in order to meet customer and statutory/regulatory requirements has determined and is managing the processes needed to achieve the expected outcomes (conforming products and enhanced customer satisfaction) has ensured the availability of resources necessary to support the operation and monitoring of these processes monitors and controls the defined product characteristics aims to prevent nonconformities, and has systematic improvement processes in place to Correct any nonconformities that do occur (including product nonconformities that are detected after delivery) Analyze the cause of the nonconformities and take corrective action to avoid their recurrence Address customer complaints has implemented an effective internal audit and management review process is monitoring, measuring and continually improving the effectiveness of its quality management system What accredited certification to ISO 9001 does not mean 1. It is important to recognize that ISO 9001 defines the requirements of an organization’s quality management system, not for its products. Accredited certification to ISO 9001 should provide confidence in the organization’s ability to “consistently provide product that meets customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements”. It does not necessarily ensure that the organization will always achieve 100% product conformity, though this should of course be a permanent goal. 2. ISO 9001 accredited certification does not imply that the organization is providing a superior product, or that the product itself is certified as meeting the requirements of an ISO (or any other) standard or specification.
Platinum Registration is not associated with any consultancy organization and is prohibited from recommending that any particular organization. We do maintain a list of consultancies that support management system development and maintenance. Please contact us for an up-to-date list. It is important to understand that certification will not be easier, cheaper or guaranteed by selecting any specific consultancy organization. Supplier selection and evaluation will always be the responsibility of the organization selecting the suppler. Some questions you may want to ask a prospective supplier include: Do you have experience in the standard? How do you develop a system that is process-based that will reflect how my company operates? How long have you been in business? Has a client ever failed a certification assessment? If so why and how did you help them? How many consultants work for you? If you are a single-person consultancy, what will happen to our project if you are injured or ill? Is your training certified? If so, by what organization. Do you work remotely? What training have you had with revised standards? What is the time commitment you need from our organization? What are your costs for consultancy? What are your travel costs? What are the typical flight seat selections you use? What are the typical cars that your rent? What are the typical hotels that you stay in? If I have a problem with my assigned consultant – what is your process for addressing complaints? What are your industry affiliations? How do you provide on-going communication and support to your clients? What geographic locations do you support? What standards do you support? Do your consultants have professional certifications (IRCA, Exemplar Global, etc.)? Do you support your clients during and after certification? If so, how? Do you guarantee your work?