Following the traditional headlines, there is a deeply misguided pessimism in the media when it comes to manufacturing in the United States. Given the recent political/economic issues, it seems the days when the Big Three automotives, US Steel, and other industrial giants dominated the global landscape are long gone.
Moreover, people seem to have lost faith in the opportunities manufacturing can provide as a career. Production is seen as something dirty, unsafe, with long hours and low pay that will only worsen as employers outsource production to China and other BRIC nations. Nothing could be further from the truth. America remains the wealthiest, most productive country on Earth, due, in large part, to the resurgence of manufacturing and the burgeoning shale-energy industry. Moreover, the United States continues to lead the world in technology, innovation and advanced manufacturing. Furthermore, as with the rise of the middle class in emerging markets and the maturing of the global labor force, more companies are looking to “homesource” production in the United States. Organizations such as the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition are similarly dedicated to showcasing the wonderful opportunities present in the manufacturing sector, from skilled laborers to quality inspection to supervisory/management roles. Today, on October 4th, we celebrate National Manufacturing Day, during which we celebrate our roots as the greatest industrial power the world has ever seen and aim to change the perception of manufacturing. Accupoint is proud to take part in this educational effort. We service some of the country’s most innovative. Every day, we grow more and more impressed and excited at the prospects for manufacturing. Please join us today in sharing in the pride of the companies that built America’s past and will continue to build its future. To find out how Accupoint can help you build a world class organization, call us toll-free at 800.563.6250. There’s a great discussion regarding QMS going on over at the ISO 9001 LinkedIn boards. Unfortunately, we’re still seeing the mindset that QMS software can’t or doesn’t add value to companies, much less create a competitive advantage or generate profit. Our friend Dave Gentile even goes so far as to suggest that Word documents are sufficient for navigating today’s complex quality control operations. At Accupoint, however, we believe QMS is more than compliance or preparing for quality audits. QMS is about creating better prepared, more agile organizations.
It’s an old cliché that “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Yet, like all clichés, hidden just beyond its inanity is its truth: the first step to making decisions that positively impact your organization is possessing high-quality information. Furthermore, to set yourself apart from your competitors, it’s imperative that you find new and innovative ways of collecting that information, provide enterprise-level access to that information, and then use that information correctly. An effective QMS, particularly Accupoint’s solutions, can help you do just that. All across the manufacturing and oil & gas sectors, Accupoint’s family of knowledge management solutions have given our clients the power to transform information into knowledge that gets results. Our intuitive user-interface integrates quality, health and safety, and environmental management modules into one seamless application. This results in less training, less hassle, and more accurate reporting. Furthermore, our solutions are cloud-based and designed specifically for point-of-operation use. This means everyone from your production managers to control/compliance officers to your c-level executives can access our application on any mobile device. By making it easy to report quality issues and access real-time data, our application helps organizations emphasize prevention, rather than crisis management. QMS isn’t just about compliance. QMS is about creating progressive, flexible, adaptable organizations that are always seeking improvement. The fact that you’ve found us is the first step. Let us help you make the next one. For more information on how Accupoint can help streamline your Quality Management Software needs, call us toll-free at 800.563.6250 In my experience with audits, I have found that the organizations that prepare throughout the year are generally more successful than those that attempt a crash course weeks before an audit.
These last minute preparation efforts often lead to increased costs resulting from a redeployment of resources. In addition, it can contribute to confusion and frustration throughout an organization. This “cramming” often makes employees anxious, causing them to perform poorly. Successful companies have transitioned to systemic, daily processes which has them constantly prepared for an audit. Not only does this improve the overall external audit process, it increases the productivity of the entire organization. The most effective way to increase organizational preparedness is to perform regularly scheduled internal audits. These audits should carry the same significance as an external audit and the auditor, who is not responsible for the activity being audited, must have the ability to look critically at operations and report honestly without fear of reprisals. The company must take proper steps to continually improve internal processes, resulting in a more effective operational environment. By instituting an effective audit management program, organizations have a tool to help streamline business processes, improve productivity and increase customer satisfaction |
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