Hot topic – certification rates
In the last issue of INform we gave readers the following ‘hot topic’ poser: ‘Why is certification slowing down in most parts of the world?’ See below for some of the responses from around the globe
I have been helping companies in the south east of the US become ISO 9001-certificated for nearly ten years. Most of the companies I have worked with are in the automotive, appliance and materials industries. In my humble opinion, the slowdown in certification has been due to the impacts of US original equipment manufacturers sourcing suppliers in China.
While they do require the vendors there to become ISO certified, I been informed by both Chinese nationals and by engineers doing supplier visits there that they think the certifications are a ‘scam’. I have also been told that second and third tier suppliers there are not required to be certified as they are here in the US.
I also know that with increasing pressures to reduce costs, more and more uncertified companies are being allowed to bid on jobs where in the past ISO certification was an entry requirement. In addition many companies believe that the ISO process of disiplined improvement is a sure path to improvement. However, they are not convinced that they need third party registration to achieve the benefits of a well-constructed and implemented ISO quality management system (QMS). In the past two years I have had three companies contract with my firm to assist them in implementing QMSs based on the ISO standard but have no desire to apply for third party certification. One company I helped achieve certification dropped it at the end of the first three year cycle. I suspect that this may be a trend for the future, especially in companies outside the traditional manufacturing sectors.
Thomas Arneson
Focus Consulting
Henderson, Kentucky
Some of the bigger companies have backed off from pushing quality products and services in favour of the cheapest price. This is driven by greed. The top executives know that if they can make the books look good for this year and maybe the next, and then they get huge bonuses and stock options to go along with their large salaries. Their plan - as one president of an international company once told me - is to make it now and leave the clean up to the person who follows them. That person is not penalized if the system is in trouble - they can always justify why and then get major perks as they try to turn things around.
I know several smaller companies that I have consulted with that have dropped their ISO 9001 certification because the fees charged by the auditors put them at a disadvantage to their competition, which is not certified. The quality of product and service only comes into play when it causes some down time for the customer. Somewhere we need to get the huge pay-offs to top executives under control and focus on the customer and society a little more.
More standards are not going to help this in my book.We need people who will implement the current standards in the way they were intended to be.
Mickey Christensen
TQM Systems
Baton Rouge, Los Angeles
The next hot topic question is: ‘Is consultancy still posing a conflict of interest in the accredited certification industry?’ Email Amy Holgate on e: aholgate@irca.org and make yourself heard (please include your professional role and your country of residence).