Overwhelmed by Sarbanes-Oxley? Does it seem like "SOx" compliance activities duplicate existing procedures and choke productivity? Whether you are a larger, publicly-traded company or a smaller service provider whose customers expect SOx compliance, becoming and remaining SOx-compliant can be costly and non-value added.

Your ISO 9001 system can help. By utilizing existing policies, procedures, data, and training, your ISO system can provide objective evidence of internal control which is the focal point of SOx compliance. Whether you are registered to ISO 9001, ISO/TS 16949, AS 9100 or other management system standards, the ISOx^sm approach shows you how to do this. Visit www.ISO x.org to find out more.

In mid-2001, we at King Machine began the development of our ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System. We didn't start the process because of customer pressure, but rather because we believed it would be good for our business.

As background, King Machine manufactures and repairs tire molds for tire manufacturing companies. In 2001 we had three plants in North Carolina and one in Akron, Ohio that were manufacturing and repairing tire molds.

It was not the best of times for those in the tire mold business. Business was slow. Tire companies were not developing as many new tires as in previous years. Customers were in a position to demand more and pay less. Many of our competitors had gone or were going out of business, and the competition for the business that was being left was fierce.

Fortunately, King Machine had a reputation for quality that was second to none. Therefore, with all other factors being equal, King Machine was often the supplier of choice. Unfortunately for King Machine, the way we achieved our high outgoing quality was both expensive and time consuming. Consequently, we often found ourselves at a competitive disadvantage.

Over the last three months, we have certified thirty- five new locations to various quality standards. In the same time period, we have re-certified twenty- five locations.

Congratulations to everyone for their hard work!

Every manufacturing operation has opportunities to reduce costs and thus increase profits. This seminar introduces you to several techniques that, when coupled with the culture of your ISO 9001:2000 system, will provide your organization with the means to achieve significant cost reductions, often in a very short time. The best part is that in the vast majority of cases, this can be achieved without adding people or equipment.

Topics Covered

• Using your ISO 9001 based system as the platform for improvement
• Lean Manufacturing
• Six Sigma
• Theory of Constraints

Where & When