An ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company

m magazine a matcor publication, spring 2013

matcor.com

The Turnkey Solutions Issue

TURNKEY SOLUTIONS MEAN SUPERIOR CLIENT SUPPORT
MATCOR...ON THE MOVE MORE WAYS THAN ONE MATCOR BRINGS FULL TURNKEY SOLUTIONS TO CANADA

TURNKEY CATHODIC PROTECTION SOLUTIONS

MATCORs Milestone Achievement

ISO 9001:2008 Certification
Our commitment to provide global turnkey solutions is stronger than ever
Written By: Joe Fournet & Donna Huesken

MATCOR has always been committed to quality in providing turnkey solutions and personalized service to our customers anywhere in the world. This couldnt be truer today as evidenced by MATCOR recently receiving ISO 9001:2008 certication. This milestone achievement validates our commitment to quality, and afrms that MATCOR has thoroughly documented its quality processes while meeting the stringent qualications for the global ISO 9001:2008 standard.

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Clients want to be condent that they are doing business with an organization that consistently meets or exceeds their needs, and helps to better position their company to achieve overall business goals.

hy is ISO certification so important? It was designed to help organizations meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders while also meeting requirements related to the product. ISO 9001 integrates a system to identify, measure, control and improve our core processes, ultimately leading to improved business performance. This recent ISO 9001:2008 certification ensures that our clients can be confident that MATCOR approaches every challenge with demonstrated quality processes in delivering an innovative, cost-effective and uncompromising commitment to a safe solution. ISO 9001:2008 is globally regarded as the most comprehensive body of standards on quality management systems (QMS) and practices. Based in Geneva Switzerland, the non-profit group, the International Organization for Standardization, is known as ISO and began in 1926, focusing mainly on mechanical engineering. Today, it is the worlds largest standards developing organization comprised of 175 countries, publishing more than 18,000 international standards. It is the foremost authority on quality standards and is designed to homogenize industrial standards so equipment, services and working methods become compatible across national borders. A systematic approach to achieving client satisfaction is thus ensured. Like time, businesses change and so do the way processes are judged. Significant revisions by the ISO came in 2000 and again in 2008, thus evolving ISO 9001 to meet the growing needs of manufacturing and service sector industries. It is now

three standards - ISO 9001, 9002 and 9003 - combined into one. It addresses many business managing concerns and lays great emphasis on the critical areas of customer focus, people involvement, and most importantly, continuous improvement. The key to ensuring that ISO 9001:2008 delivers real business benefits and service improvements is in its implementation. Senior management must fully support and endorse the implementation of the quality management system so it doesnt lose impetus and fail. MATCORs senior management has no intention of failing. Achieving ISO 9001:2008 Certification is an important milestone for MATCOR. This certification confirms to our global clients our commitment to quality at all levels of our organization, said Jeff Stello, President and CEO. As a result of this certification, MATCOR anticipates continued growth in our business operations and the bottom line. Adoption of ISO 9001:2008 leads to better international status and frequently becomes a necessity to be acknowledged as an approved supplier to other ISO 9001:2008 certified organizations. Companies also benefit financially. An analysis performed by David Levine, business professor at the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley, shows that a company experiences, on average, a nine percent increase in sales specifically attributable to an improved ability to meet customer expectations with the implementation of ISO 9001:2008 The scope of MATCORs certification includes the design, manufacture and distribution of cathodic protection systems. MATCORs Quality Management System was assessed by Eagle Registrations, an accredited registrar who performs independent assessments against the requirements of the

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Receiving this certification can mean many positive

national and international standards for quality. After examination of extensive samples of objective evidence, MATCOR received formal registration approval on February 5, 2013. However, now that MATCOR has achieved this high level of certification, we must maintain it. An ISO 9001:2008 certificate but must be renewed at regular intervals recommended by the certification body, usually once every three years. There are no grades of competence within 9001:2008 either a company is certified (meaning that it is committed to the method and model of quality management described in the standard) or it is not. In order for MATCOR to maintain QMS suitability, Eagle will conduct annual surveillance audits. While significant, the ISO 9001:2008 standard is generalized and abstract; its parts must be carefully interpreted to make sense within a particular organization. States Donna Huesken, MATCORs Quality Specialist, The standard allows the flexibility to choose how best to document the quality management system (QMS) in order to demonstrate effective planning, operation and control of processes as well as provides a vehicle for continual improvement and effectiveness. Supporting MATCORs commitment to high quality standards and ISO conformance, the Quality Manual and standard operating procedures (SOPs) were developed to assist all employees in understanding and implementing the quality system activities associated with their functions. Goals and objectives are maintained throughout the quality system and any proposed changes to the QMS are documented and approved prior to implementation. In order to demonstrate that the QMS is effective, meaningful and relevant, improvement and better serve our clients. MATCOR began taking steps towards meeting ISO requirements in October 2011. According to Huesken, it started with determining the processes, and the interactions between the processes, necessary for the effective implementation of the QMS. This is no small feat in and of itself. Next, the processes are established and documented in order to assure effective operation and control. After five days of meeting with process owners and reviewing evidence, MATCOR received a registration a s s e s s m e n t report from Eagle Registrations detailing several deviations and opportunities for improvement. Accordingly, corrective action to address the identified non conformities, including root cause analysis, was conducted and submitted to the registrar. As is standard practice, auditors will continue to visit annually to monitor the closure of past issues. As part of the certification process, MATCOR established a cross-functional innovation team called IDEA: Innovation, Design, Engineering and Analysis. The IDEA team benefits from an innovation process that is capable of developing high-quality products and solutions in predictable and measurable ways, using

information relating to client satisfaction, process trends and supplier performance is analyzed. Key performance indicators (KPIs) relating to process performance are measured and the metric analysis results are regularly reported to senior management. KPI analysis identifies areas needing improvement and provides guidance for determining where targeted corrective action should be made. This allows MATCOR to pursue continual

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developments for businesses.

documented and controlled processes. The team meets on a monthly basis and is building a pipeline of innovation, leading up to future new product releases. MATCORs receiving this milestone achievement of becoming certified to the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System standards and guidelines, reaffirms our long-standing commitment to customer satisfaction. Anticipating the demands of our clients worldwide, MATCORs decision to become certified demonstrates our dedication to help companies achieve their corrosion prevention goals, and our commitment to Integrity that Works. States Jeff Stello, President and CEO, Clients want to be confident that they are doing business with an organization that consistently meets or exceeds their needs, and helps to better position their company to achieve overall business goals. What impact does all this have on MATCOR? Over a million organizations worldwide are independently certified, making ISO the internationally accepted standard and one of the most widely used management tools in the world today. MATCOR is in good company. It is widely acknowledged that proper quality management improves business, often having a positive effect on investment, market share, sales growth, sales margins, and global competitive advantage. As MATCOR aims at growing better and stronger, it is the people and the systems that have to sustain the growth. Standard operating procedures and a stringent training program help establish consistency across the organization, therefore reducing variation. Every organization reaps the benefits from obtaining customer feedback, tracking complaints, examining trends, establishing root causes and monitoring supplier performance. MATCOR is no different. Receiving this certification can mean many positive developments for businesses. Companies, like MATCOR, that adopt 9001:2008 are much more likely to stay in business and, in turn, experience faster sales growth than those that choose not to pursue certification. ISO 9001:2008 adopters also seem to grow their employment bases, total payrolls, and average annual earnings much faster than companies that do not adopt certification. In turn, employees experience increased job satisfaction, thus resulting in decreased employee turnover when their companies take on ISO 9001:2008. Our ISO certification is not only a testament to MATCORs unwavering commitment to quality, it is also a reflection of the increasingly more stringent demands on the industry to provide reliable solutions that protect infrastructure, address environmental concerns and comply with all regulatory requirements, states Knut Fenner, MATCORs Senior Director, Business Development. MATCOR, Inc., the trusted full-service provider of proprietary cathodic protection products, systems, and corrosion engineering solutions, has now strengthened our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction throughout the global marketplace. Our ISO 9001:2008 Certification is indeed a major milestone in MATCORs growth and we are extremely proud of that! m

MaTCOrS kEy PrOCESSES haVE bEEN iDENTifiED aS:

Design and development Contract review and order processing Procurement and manufacturing Storage and shipping

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