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Putzmeister America Completes Transition Audit to Comply with New ISO 9001:2000 Quality Standard
Putzmeister America Completes Transition Audit to Comply with New ISO 9001:2000 Quality Standard
STURTEVANT, Wis. (Oct. 20, 2003) – Although originally certified by the International Organization for Standardization in 1998, Putzmeister America completed the latest transition audit and was certified to the newest ISO 9001:2000 quality standard in August.After incorporating all changes needed to conform to the revised ISO standard, Putzmeister was audited and found in compliance. The audit covered the company’s quality procedures and systems involving all products, including new and refurbished units, and every department within the Wisconsin-based organization.
Significant changes were made to the international standard, making the
latest version more stringent than past quality certifications. The latest standard covers more than just systems acceptance. Some of the new mandates include greater involvement by senior management, more accountability for customer satisfaction and added documentation as proof of a company’s continued compliance to maintaining or improving quality in all aspects.
“I personally think this re-certification proves the dedication that each and every Putzmeister employee has to ensuring we continue to provide our customers
the finest quality machines in the industry,” said Frank Wright, quality manager at Putzmeister America. “Because achieving the revised standard is a very long and involved process that takes a huge investment in time and resources, many companies may not choose to do the inordinate amount of work to comply. Therefore, the tougher 2000 standard may weed out many companies who are not fully committed to maintaining this quality registration.”
Companies previously ISO certified must complete the transition audit by December 2003. If they fail to complete the audit, their ISO certification expires and they may no longer be compliant. In addition, no exclusions to the ISO standard will be allowed. Therefore, no 9002, 9003 or 9004 versions will exist.
Now, all departments and business aspects within a company must be part of the registration. Exclusions that are not part of a company’s business will be noted on the certificate for those companies who may not design or manufacture, such as calibration facilities or service-only organizations.
Putzmeister was originally certified in July 1998 according to the ISO 9001:1994 standard. With the new ISO 9001:2000 certification, the company can market itself as ISO certified to the latest international standard. Audits by an independent auditor will continue on an annual basis to ensure ongoing compliance.
Bureau Veritas Quality International (BVQI) was chosen as Putzmeister America’s partner in the recently completed certification process. BVQI has registered more than 30,000 companies worldwide and stresses the need for continuous improvement.
Putzmeister America is one of the world's leading heavy equipment manufacturers, specializing in concrete and material placing equipment. As market leaders in technology and innovation, Putzmeister offers a complete line of truck-mounted concrete boom pumps, separate placing booms, truck-mounted telescopic conveyors and trailer-mounted concrete pumps. In addition, the company provides a wide range of mortar, grout, shotcrete, plaster and fireproofing pumps and mixers, industrial pumps, as well as tunneling and mining equipment. The company originally achieved international ISO 9001 quality certification in 1998 and this summer successfully completed the transition audit for compliance
with the recently revised and tougher ISO standard.