Wednesday, August 17, 2016
All of Webco Industries’ manufacturing divisions conduct internal quality audits throughout the year to prepare employees for an actual external audit. It’s a best practice that enables Webco employees to understand the company’s commitment to continuous improvement as well as the significant effort required to achieve a “World Class” supplier rating.
Practice makes perfect. Outside auditor Intertek recently conducted an annual ISO 9001 surveillance at our Star Center plant and a PED recertification audit at our SWT facility, reporting that the Oklahoma Carbon Tube Division has a mature quality system in place and identifying no NCRs.
“Overall, it was a good audit,” according to Tony Stubblefield, Quality Manager, Oklahoma Carbon Tube Division. “All of the employees audited did a great job answering questions with confidence and pride. The auditor noticed Webco’s culture and the excitement the employees had discussing their jobs and answering his questions. He wasn’t used to the morale of our employees and the enthusiasm all our employees demonstrated. He said usually employees try to run and hide, or are not very receptive to being audited.”
Passing these annual audits is no laughing matter for Webco and its customers. The ISO 9001 certification is a worldwide accepted standard and the Quality Management System adopted by Webco Industries. PED stands for Pressure Equipment Directive, which is an important European requirement.
When the surveillance process was complete, the Intertek auditor concluded that Webco’s “management system is in conformity with the audit criteria and can be considered effective in assuring that objectives will be met. Continued certification is therefore recommended.”
“With the help of Dennis Allen (Quality Systems Coordinator) and Joe Jamison, we have continued to improve our quality management system from top to bottom,” points out Stubblefield. “The whole OKC Quality Department continues to identify opportunities for improvement, and we feel we are harder on ourselves than the actual auditors.” It’s another example of a fully committed workforce applying Webco’s 16 Principles to provide customers with consistently dependable, high quality products and services.
