Compliant vs Certified: Does it really make a difference?

If your system is ‘compliant’ to an ISO standard, and you’re considering being fully certified, honestly it depends. For the 80% or more of owners who ask this, and their customers are satisfied, it may not be the right time. Certification demands more, but it can pay off. Here are some of the ways.

• Audits are an investment of time and money, and you may have to make some minor changes as a result - but if it gets you into new markets, would it be worth it?

• You may need some coaching to learn new terms and tools - but if that improves the quality teams engagement when they see they really can make a difference, how valuable is that?

• You may need to allow staff time to collect data as a part of production - but if the info you gather means you fix hidden issues and as a result errors go down, and safety and productivity go up would it be worth it?

• If you spend your time fighting the same fires over and again – how would it feel to shift the culture to one where people identify risks, instead of issues, and the team presents you with ideas to prevent them ever occurring again?

• If it’s been a while since you took a vacation, or you regularly work late by necessity - how would it feel to leave on time or take a work-free vacation knowing everyone else can cover what you do because your processes are documented?

• If your error rate to the customer is considered acceptable at 5% or more – how are your customers responding? How many would return if your motto was “Right first time, every time.”?

• If your goal of 80% on-time delivery hasn’t recovered since COVID – how are you retaining customer loyalty when they find back-up suppliers who meet delivery dates?

• If your culture is stable and staff happily say “we’ve always done it this way” or “don’t change what ain’t broke” – how do you promote a culture of improvement, and how do you engage employees to bring their best ideas to the table?

• If your new hire onboarding process is arduous because much of your strength is historic knowledge instead of documented processes and detailed travelers – would it be worth it to capture the wisdom when long tenured staff retire?

• If it’s been a while since you heard suggestions from certain employees, or you’re tired of the criticizers and complainers – how would it feel to have those employees reengaged and more productive because they see management upgrading the infrastructure, safety, tooling that affects them daily?
  

If you are too busy to improve – how do you keep up with the competition? We’ve seen all these scenarios turn around with a QMS. Ready to invest in a certified QMS and reap the benefits of a culture of improvement? Let us answer your questions here and help you take your business to the next level.