A1 Teletronics receives ISO 9002 re-certification

JoAnn Boyd, Quality Assurance Coordinator

St. Petersburg, Fla. November 8, 2001 - Registrar QMI granted ISO 9002 re-certification to A1 Teletronics here yesterday after finding the independent telecommunications distributor in "zero nonconformance."

"Zero nonconformance" refers to the conclusion drawn by the re-certification auditor upon finding no areas of the company's quality system to suggest improvements on at the time of the audit. Instead of suggestions, the auditor left A1 with praise for two areas in particular: a new work order system that makes product completely traceable throughout the repair process and improved policies on corrective action.

According to the continuous certification schedule A1 abides by, re-certification audits focusing on 50% of the company's quality system take place once every three years, while surveillance audits focusing on 25% of its quality system take place once every six months. Although companies are given a choice between this schedule and an annual re-certification schedule that does not include surveillance audits, A1 Operations and Quality Assurance Manager Mark Rosendale explained why A1 chose the schedule that it did. "Our schedule brings us together with the auditor twice a year instead of just once. This not only affirms that quality is an integral part of what we do at A1. It also ensures that the auditor becomes familiar with our company and quality system, which in turn enables him or her to provide the most useful feedback to us as we strive to continuously improve upon our quality program," Rosendale said.

In addition to addressing any feedback that might result from an audit, A1's commitment to continuous quality improvement includes conducting complete quarterly internal audits, implementing company-wide quality metrics, regularly discussing the company's performance, and assigning employee "task forces" to address any areas for improvement that these discussions might identify. From the time they are hired, employees are also repeatedly trained on ISO-certified quality standards. "The goal here is for employees to be familiar with A1's quality system and how they contribute to it," explained A1 Quality Assurance Coordinator Joann Boyd. "The end result is a total commitment to quality across the company," she added.

Contact JoAnn : (727) 576-5001 extension 193