DSM Food Specialties Achieves ISO 9001:2000 Registration in 9 Months In September, after 9 months, the ISO 9001:2000 auditor came for a three-day registration audit by LRQA Registrars, Inc. There were no major findings and only four minor findings identified during the three-day audit. Three of the findings were corrected with the help of MEP before the lead auditor from LRQA Registrars even left the facility. As a result of this promptness and an excellent audit, the auditor recommended DSM for registration and are only waiting for the return of the paperwork from the registrar headquarters in Houston, Texas so that DSM can be officially registered. DSM now has a Quality Management system in place that is in total compliance with the latest ISO 9001:2000 Standard.
As Research Associate, Sean Benson, of DSM Food indicates, "To succeed in gaining our ISO Registration, we enlisted the help of the MEP Utah. We soon began to see the advantages that ISO Registration would give us. Mike was able to take us through the process and show us how to understand and use the ISO standard and apply it in our business. We certified in just 9 months. This was quite a task considering a change in computer systems and a move to a new building in a different town. We now have a Quality Management System that works and is under control." "We have been pleased with the help that the MEP Utah has given us. We have greatly appreciated the examples, definitions, and expertise that their Engineer has shown us. ISO registration would have taken much longer without the MEP Utah. We really appreciated the MEP assistance." Testimonial name: Sean Benson Testimonial Title: Research Associate, ISO Management Representative, DSM Food Specialties
DSM was required to be registered to the ISO 9001:2000 Standard on or before the end of 2003 by their corporate headquarters in the Netherlands. During this same time period, a new order, inventory, production, and scheduling control system was also being implemented. To compound problems even further, DSM was moved from their old facility in Millville to a new facility in Logan. At this point in their business, intervention was critical to the company as they were trying to deal with so many different changes in the way they did business.
MEP Utah's project engineer met with DSM to discuss their needs and expectations in order to implement a quality management system that would meet the basic requirements of their corporate leaders. With MEP Utah assistance, DSM management decided to become certified to the ISO 9001:2000 Standard. Implementation and training for this Quality Management System was undertaken January of 2003. At this point, the MEP Utah Engineer gave DSM examples of forms, he helped them with training in internal auditing, and he showed them how to perform ISO Management Review Meetings. He also performed a Gap Analysis for them. This included a 21-page questionnaire that asked different questions to see if the company had ISO quality management systems in place and documentation to back it up. The company then went through the questionnaire seeing what they had and where they needed to be in order to be registered. Then the MEP Utah Engineer compiled a report that discussed the two areas and the gap between them. This allowed DSM to see the holes that needed to be filled. The ISO Quality training continued into mid September for DSM-but they were now ready for the auditor, having achieved their quality journey in a mere 9 months. (It is not unusual for companies to work on this for several years and still not achieve the registration.)
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