Product category:
ERP and MRP systems and software
News Release from: Evolution | Subject: ERP software
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 21 March 2003
ERP supplier accredited to BS EN ISO
9001:2000
Believed to be one of only a few ERP suppliers in the UK to have achieved accreditation BS EN ISO 9001:2000, it covers design, development, replication, distribution and customer support.
Evolution has achieved accreditation to the new international quality assurance standard BS EN ISO 9001:2000 The software company, part of the SoftBrands Manufacturing group, is believed to be one of only a few ERP suppliers in the UK to have achieved this important status
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 17 Feb 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Extending automation reach and functionality
An enhancement to a distributed control system gives manufacturing personnel access to customised information according to their job function.
Guiding the way through Fieldbus confusion
Do you know your JABBER from your KERMIT? Your FISCO from your FNICO? If not, you can find out from the 'Fieldbus Jargon Buster' that helps users better understand plant control.
The registration covers the design, development, replication, distribution, customer support and services provision for evolution's range of integrated, internet-ready software solutions aimed at small to medium-size enterprises (SMEs) engaged in manufacturing, distribution and logistics business.
The main benefit of registration, evolution claims, is that with the award of the new BS EN ISO 9001:2000 any organisation dealing with the company, whether an existing or potential customer, supplier or other body will know that the vendor operates a policy of best business practice which is also subject to continual assessment by the BSI.
Mike Aston, evolution's head of sales and marketing, said: "International quality standards are important in the forming of strong business partnerships and collaboration.
Further reading
Windows-based manufacturing package for small user
Aimed at small companies, a comprehensive and powerful Windows-based manufacturing package delivers the features and functionality required to efficiently control and manage production.
At last: Affordable graphical programming
ComputerBoards and Hewlett-Packard launch HP VEE Lab for data acquisition and measurement
Get encoder data into your PC
New cards from ComputerBoards allow encoder signals such as displacement data to be ported into PC applications without the need for add-on hardware - encoder support is built into the boards.
Customers and others who deal with evolution - in Europe and further afield - want to know that the company conforms to a high standard of business excellence throughout the enterprise.
We have made sure this principle covers all operations, from financial controls and corporate governance, through to the product itself and customer relations and service delivery.
We are proud that we have met the criteria set by the new standard and achieved such a widely recognised symbol of quality." To gain registration from BSI evolution had to ensure that key elements of the company's business including its values, people and processes adhered to the highest standards of quality.
The elements relate to customer focus, leadership, human resources, business processes, management, continual improvement, a factual approach to decision-making and mutually beneficial supplier relationships.
Neil Hannah, Managing Director of BSI's EMEA Management Systems said, "We are delighted to have registered evolution to ISO 9001:2000.
Completing this rigorous registration process illustrates a real commitment to exceeding customer requirements and achieving excellence in all areas of evolution's operations." Hannah added, "ISO 9001:2000 registration demonstrates that a company is setting and maintaining high standards, identifying and resolving problems, accepting recommendations for improvement and fostering effective communications between the company, their customers and their employees.
It is a considerable achievement of which evolution should be proud." The process for the transition to ISO 9001:2000 began in 2001 with a gap analysis carried out by BSI Client Manager Alan Jackson and Saifuddin Undre, evolution's Quality Manager, to ensure that the company met the deadline of December 2003.
Several transition visits were completed and due to the pro-active work demonstrated by the company, and the commitment from management, the final transition visit was completed in December 2002, twelve months ahead of the deadline.
Valuable lessons learnt - "What we learnt from the process of registering for BS EN ISO 9001:2000 is that business success requires less energy but more synergy.
The standard recognises business excellence cannot be delegated and that the most effective way of ensuring ongoing success is through the synergy of people and processes," said Aston.
The process of preparation and applying for registration began in July 2001.
Aston said that the commitment of the company's management and involvement of the staff throughout this process was a critical success factor.
"We soon identified gaps between our existing quality management system and BS EN ISO 9001:2000," he said.
"We reviewed what we were already doing, keeping processes that worked while refining those that didn't.
Particular attention was paid to process interaction to ensure that we would always work closely as a team for the benefit of the business and our customers." The company's intranet-based Quality Management System was fully revised to reflect the new policy, objectives and key processes.
It is important to establish better internal communication channels, Aston said, because all employees need to be kept informed on what is going on.
Already having an intranet provided a quick and cheap, yet effective internal communications channel and decision-making facilitator.
Publishing information directly to employees' desktops not only enabled them to make more informed decisions but also allowed them to leverage the technology for the benefit of the business and its customers.
Aston concluded: "During the transition process, we were subjected to continual assessment by BSI.
Reports of these assessments are available on our intranet.
Finally, on 18th December 2002, twelve months ahead of the deadline, BSI recommended our registration - a significant achievement, which was due to the full commitment of our management, employees and team working efforts.".
• Evolution: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
