We’re excited to announce that we are now officially ISO 9001 certified by one of the world’s premier accreditation partners. With this prestigious honor, Easter-Owens joins the ranks of better than one million companies worldwide who are demonstrating their passionate commitment to total quality management (TQM). But just what does that really mean?

TQM is about more than just individual quality metrics or particular strategies for quality control. As important as those are, what matters more is creating an organizational structure and cultural climate in which continuous improvement is a hallmark of how we do business. In order to achieve ISO certification, we had to demonstrate a number of things:

• Intense customer focus. We let our customers’ needs define what constitutes good quality output. We have strong metrics for determining not only what consistently satisfies, but also delights our customers. We strive to raise the bar of consumer expectations from the work we do, both by delivering higher quality products and by doing so at a lower cost.

• A commitment to procedural improvement. We operate on the “Plan, Do, Check, Adjust” (PDCA) model, which emphasizes careful resource forecasting, adaptive operating procedures, and routine process evaluation. We never rest on our laurels, because there are always opportunities for improvement somewhere along the line. When something doesn’t work, we get rid of it. When it does, we look for ways to make it better.

• Well-documented quality protocol. Team members are rigorously trained in quality expectations, with clear metrics to follow and clear instructions for how to respond to deviations. There are monitored “stop points” at every stage of the process where low-quality product is halted and allowed to proceed no further. Organizational culture promotes interaction between departments to ensure that there is a consistent focus on quality from the beginning to the end of the line.

• Strong management support. There is top-down emphasis on quality. Upper management recognizes that trading quality for volume is unacceptable, and they reward team members who contribute to process improvements while constructively disciplining those who compromise quality work. Performance incentives emphasize efficient and reproducible goals that drive down the cost of sales.

We’re eager to dialogue about what our certification means for you and your customers. Contact us today, and we’ll be happy to explain how our commitment to quality is good for your bottom line, too.