At EASE Inc, Chief Executive Eric Stoop says that layered process audits hold the key to greater product quality and a faster manufacturing recovery. As UK manufacturing continues its recovery from the pandemic’s impact, its factory production growth is simultaneously being slowed by Brexit-hit supply chain disruption. Between Brexit and Covid-19, movement across borders has slowed. It’s clear that factories need to boost efficiency and productivity – and increasing…
Category: Quality Control Management System
Is Cybersecurity the next Big thing for Quality Professionals?
Andrew Nichols, Quality Programme Manager at Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, argues that data breaches can be disastrous for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It’s time for quality managers to look at how their management systems can help protect their business. Cybersecurity breaches often make the news headlines, especially as large organisations tend to be the main victims – BA, Equifax, Marriott and NHS patient data have all been subject to…
Upgrading Standards for the Global Moving Business.
Due to the impact of the global pandemic and ever-increasing scrutiny of the environmental practices of relocation businesses, the industry is gearing up for an important update to its quality standard. FIDI Global Alliance is an association for quality-certified international moving and relocation businesses, specialising in moves from one country to another. Working with a FIDI-affiliated company is a pre-requisite for many HR and mobility teams in large…
A joined-up Approach to Building Safety.
The UK is introducing the most significant reform to building safety regulations in decades, aiming to create a coherent system that defines responsibilities and improves quality across the built environment. Published in July 2021, the UK government’s long-awaited draft Building Safety Bill promises to deliver the biggest reform of regulation across the construction and residential…
Standards and Nonconformity in the Automotive Sector.
The International Automotive Task Force is reviewing how problem-solving and nonconformity management are covered in the IATF 16949:2016, the global technical specification and quality standard for the automotive industry. What do the trends tell us? Quality management is mission-critical to the international automotive industry, not least in the UK, where quality and innovation are key…
ISO 9001 Gets Quality Check.
Used by millions of organizations around the globe, the world-standard reference for quality, ISO 9001, Quality management systems – Requirements, has just passed its “warrant of fitness”. Like all ISO standards, ISO 9001 undergoes a systematic review every five years to decide whether it is still valid or needs updating. This is important to ensure the standard is still…
Driving Clinical Improvement in the NHS through Audit Management.
Improvement, Innovation and Effectiveness Lead Tracey Brailsford at Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust explains how a cloud-based system is helping senior leadership and frontline staff learn from performance and continually improve services for patients. When Tracey Brailsford joined Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust in 2015, the organisation’s clinical audit activity was based around paper forms and spreadsheets….
Dealing with Incorrect Information.
In our latest dilemma, find out what to do when a company appears to have supplied duplicate testing images in order to meet the delivery requirement. Dilemma A customer quality engineer is conducting a release inspection at a manufacturer of high-pressure ball valves. The valves are for a pipeline project in northern Alaska. The contract requires full radiographic non-destructive testing of the welds for the flange ends of four valves. The engineer asks…
ISO/IEC TS 27022:2021 – Information Technology – Guidance on Information Security Management System Processes
Richard Green, CQP FCQI, Managing Director of Kingsford Consultancy Services, UK, outlines the newest guidance on information security implementation and operation. In the early days of management systems, a high degree of emphasis was placed on operating in accordance with specific, designated procedures. Management system standards were highly prescriptive, not only telling organisations which procedures…
The Importance of Leadership.
Andrew Holt identifies the most significant change contained within ISO 9001:2015, that of ‘leadership’, and what it means for quality professionals. The move from ‘Management responsibility’ to ‘Leadership’ is perhaps the most significant and far-reaching change contained within ISO 9001:2015, although the actual impact will depend very much on where each organisation is starting from….