Manufacture Smarter Blog

6/1/2018 - BY: ANDY NICHOLS
An important requirement of ISO 9001 (and its “cousins,” AS9100 and IATF 16949) deals with internal quality management audits. One purpose of this internal audit program is to look at the processes within the quality management system. Common questions that internal auditors raise during this practice include, “How do I audit a process?” and “Which processes should I start with?”

2/2/2018 - BY: ANDY NICHOLS
Competency is all around us. It pervades our lives. We see competency on television, for example, in “America’s Got Talent.” Talented people, regardless of their age, gender or social background, performing all manner of stage acts that wow the show’s judges and viewers. We often ask ourselves, “How did they do that?”

11/3/2017 - BY: ANDY NICHOLS
One of the first things that comes to mind when describing Quality Management Systems and “ISO 9000” is documentation, which often includes a Quality Manual. The background to Quality Management Systems started with big procurement organizations such as government agencies and Fortune 500 companies making Quality Systems a contractual requirement.

9/29/2017 - BY: ANDY NICHOLS
The latest version of ISO 9001 was published in September of 2015 and is considered to be a significant departure from the previous version. 

9/15/2017 - BY: ANDY NICHOLS
​If your organization is certified to ISO 9001:2008 (or ISO/TS 16949 or AS9100C) you have approximately 365 days left to upgrade your Quality Management System (QMS) and have your Registrar audit it. In fact, you should aim to be done and have your certificate in hand by the end of August 2018 at the latest.

7/14/2017 - BY: DAVID BRADLEY
ISO 9001:2015 blends documents and records into a single concept called “Documented Information” and no longer requires any documented procedures. If you’re still in the ISO transition phase, you might be thinking that certain procedures for handling documents and records got a lot more complicated—but did they?

6/30/2017 - BY: ANDY NICHOLS
Since ISO 9001:2000, it’s become increasingly common to consider that an organization’s Internal Quality Audits be performed using the so-called “Process Approach.” At the time of publication, that particular version of the International Standard for Management Systems contained no description of what the process approach was. The recently introduced 2015 version makes the “Process Approach” a lot clearer.

6/2/2017 - BY: DALE WICKER
In the ISO 9001:2015 standard there are two basic terms encompassing risk: risk-based thinking and the compound term risk and opportunities. Risk-based thinking is intended to be the system or approach an organization takes when considering risks and opportunities.

5/12/2017 - BY: JOHN SPILLSON
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die each year from foodborne illnesses. Food safety and food testing technology keep getting better, yet recalls have been on the rise. Why? While many recalls are for unsafe/contaminated food, many times it’s due to allergens. In fact, one third of all recalls are due to the mislabeling of allergens in food products.

4/28/2017 - BY: DAVID BRADLEY
As costs continue to rise and customers repeatedly seek price reductions, it’s no surprise that manufacturing profits are feeling the pinch. That’s why it’s critical for businesses to look into environmental performance as a means to save money.