In 1994, the Department of Defense (DoD) began a move to reduce its reliance on military specifications and authorized use of the ISO 9000 series commercial standards. Now, compliance with ISO standards is a requirement of doing business with many areas of the government. In those days, contractors that “had ISO 9000” had a competitive advantage.

Never one to hang back, in 1998, AMSEC jumped in to “get ISO 9000.” Today, the concepts ISO embodies are at the heart of everything we do.

With ISO playing such a major role for AMSEC, we thought it fitting to look at this standard and its continuing impact on our company and our world.

What is ISO?
In their 60-year history, the ISO standards have become synonymous with quality business processes. ISO, derived from the Greek word meaning “equal,” is a network of the national standards institutes of 157 countries, coordinated by a central secretariat based in Geneva, Switzerland. Although it is a non-governmental organization, its standards often become law through treaties or national standards, making it more powerful than most.

ISO’s overarching goal is to facilitate development of solutions that effectively meet the requirements of business and the broader needs of society. This is not always easy, particularly when you consider the body of standards we know as ISO is the collaborative work of some 3,000 groups – or 50,000 experts – worldwide!

Companies registered under ISO agree to adhere to these standards and, in so doing, declare their commitment to offering products and services of consistent quality, safety, reliability, efficiency, and interchangeability, both now and in years to come.

Improving Our World
The effects of ISO standards trickle down to the most basic aspects of our everyday life and work.

ISO’s more than 16,000 standards dictate everything from the size of the screw threads holding your chair together, to the size of the paper you load into the office copier, to the dimensions of the wheelchair-accessible entrance at your favorite restaurant – even to the protocols that enable computers manufactured by different vendors to communicate.

ISO standards make a difference for all kinds of companies in all kinds of industries all around the world. They specify the requirements for state-of-the-art products, services, processes, materials, and systems, and for good conformity assessment, managerial, and organizational practice.

ISO standards are designed to be implemented worldwide and they level the playing field for companies competing for work across regional and global markets.

ISO, the AMSEC Way
AMSEC began its quest for ISO registration in 1998, to improve internal processes and strengthen its Quality Management System (QMS) and to gain an advantage over its competitors, most of whom were not registered under ISO.

Since its initial ISO registration in 1999, the effect on AMSEC and its QMS has been striking – streamlining and documenting processes, improving and automating many of those processes, and enhancing the company’s competitive posture.

Instead of adding layers of regulation and procedure to traditional quality control processes, together, ISO and AMSEC’s QMS create an integrated business process approach that encompasses all the ways our company functions.

The result is a structured system of quality management that embodies our company’s culture, ethics, and good business practices to satisfy customer requirements and achieve success in today’s marketplace.

ISO at Work
“Meeting or exceeding customer requirements through continuous improvement of the quality management system” isn’t just a catchy slogan; it’s the way AMSEC does business.

You don’t have to look far to find examples of ISO’s effect on our company. Today...

• Every employee is guided by the common business processes detailed in AMSEC’s Quality Manual.
• Corrective and preventive action reports are helping refine training programs.
• Common procedures for design work are simplifying sharing work and ensuring common quality checks across locations.
• Our Enterprise Material Management System (EMMS) has streamlined processes and helped solve recurring purchasing, receiving, and government property management issues

And that’s just the start of a very long list!

Customer-Focused
Success in most areas of business relies on satisfied customers and repeat business from loyal customers – meeting their requirements, exceeding their expectations, and understanding their future needs.

ISO and the AMSEC QMS give us structured tools to research, understand, and manage customer relationships, link organizational objectives to customer requirements, communicate across the company, measure performance, and act on the result.

The end product is improved effectiveness in our use of resources for customer satisfaction, repeat customers, and increased revenue and market share.

Process Driven
It’s simple; ISO and our QMS help keep us all “rowing together” to focus resources on the priorities that improve our company.

When we manage business activities and resources under consistent, aligned processes, we achieve objectives more effectively and efficiently – lower cost, shorter cycle times, effective use of resources, and consistent and predictable results.