Maintaining Quality Control with ISO 9001:2008

Featured in Muncie Power Quarterly, Issue 4, 2016

In today’s marketplace with numerous companies fighting for consumer attention, neglecting to have a formalized quality system in place to maintain quality is not an option.

Muncie Power Products, recognizing the importance of quality assurance, obtained its ISO Certification in November 1999 for “The design, manufacture and distribution of truck mounted hydraulic systems.” With 35+ years of experience working in quality control, Quality Manager Dale Wilson has a propensity for making sure that the rules are followed.

As Dale stated, Muncie Power has chosen to model its quality management system after the ISO 9001:2008 standard. Muncie Power’s quality management system is focused on meeting customer expectations and delivering customer satisfaction.

In 2017, Muncie Power will be transitioning to the new ISO 9001:2015 standard.

The ISO 9001:2008 standard is not solely for companies within the mobile hydraulics industry or those that design, manufacture and distribute a product like Muncie Power. ISO 9001:2008 can serve as a model for other companies’ quality management systems as well.

“A company could be making coffee cups and ISO 9001:2008 can apply to the processes that influence product or service quality,” Dale said.

Should a company choose to model its system after ISO 9001:2008 that company does not have to become certified; however, there are benefits to doing so.

“The greatest benefit of all is that our customer, or end user, has assurance that they are receiving a quality product that will meet or exceed their expectations,” Dale said.

Beyond this assurance, ISO 9001:2008 also serves as a guide and resource for companies.

According to Wilson, “An ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System will help you to continually monitor and manage quality across all operations. As the world’s most widely recognized quality management standard, it outlines ways to achieve, as well as benchmark, consistent performance and service.”

Certification is not however, relative to the product itself.

“It is important to remember that it is not the ‘product’ that Muncie Power manufactures or assembles that is ISO 9001:2008 certified; it is the management system covering the ‘process’ through which our product has been realized that is ISO 9001:2008 certified,” said Dale.

ISO 9001:2008 allows Muncie Power to become a more consistent competitor in the marketplace. And while having a system like this in place should help companies from falling victim to the typical challenges associated with quality, companies should always be vigilant for errors.

As Dale explained, “Mistakes happen when processes are not followed.”

To help monitor, manage, and ensure quality, companies can employ a variety of tools like those utilized by Muncie Power including a closed-loop quality plan, quality metrics, and holding strategic quality meetings.

For companies curious on how to improve quality, Dale has one predominant recommendation, “Document what you do and do what you document.”