Having an ISO / QS certification gives you the right to LOSE it every 6 months! This is a rather drastic evaluation, but quite frankly, a realistic one. Maintaining the rigid quality system standards established by the international committee dictates periodic re-evaluation of a company's adherence to those standards.

Simply stated, the philosophy behind ISO is:

Say what you Do - Document Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Do what you Say - Adhere to these SOPs

Prove It - Document the two previous statements!

Those of us in the manufacturing sector have become familiar with the requirements of managing and maintaining our portion of the ISO / QS certification for our business. ISO standards management for maintenance-related functions can be accomplished in your Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) with very little additional work on your part.

WCI Steel began a program of computerized management of its assets, maintenance responsibilities, inventory, labor force, and preventive maintenance in 1990, selecting MAPCON® over a host of other products. This report examines the solutions our CMMS provided in maintaining an ISO/QS-9000/2 certification.

Say what you Do:

An existing table in the software provided an excellent vehicle for creating and editing the control processes for our maintenance environment. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) for both Maintenance and Operating can be developed. The W Y S I W Y G format was compatible with "cut & paste" features of Windows. We are also able to attach detailed schematics, diagrams, - even photos to aid in the safe completion of a repair. Supplementing this is an Import/Export feature that can be employed with existing files in other systems. Either way, you gain several significant advantages by managing these records in a plant-wide, CMMS as opposed to other established processes:

Plant-wide, on-screen access to Procedures:

Many companies manage their SOP's via the department secretary / clerk who keeps the records on their PC or saved to a network drive. The files are restricted to one or two employees for security purposes. Copies of the most current revision are made and distributed throughout the plant or department, and placed in "books" for ready access and review. Since out-dated information is a definite non-compliance issue in ISO / QS management, procedures have to be developed to define the handling of the old copies removed from each book. Folders, Files, Storage Cabinets - all these steps require dedicated, labor intensive management to ensure conformity.

A multi-leveled security system in a CMMS provides the same control features to create / edit records, plus allows on-screen viewing of the most up-to-date changes to procedures anywhere in the plant. All this happens within seconds after the changes are made! No more need to make, distribute, retrieve and manage copies of your procedures.

By managing SOP's in a CMMS, there are no out-dated, obsolete issues to address; the most current revision is the one displayed. Browse screens or screen-editing security guarantee the integrity of the data.

Not all Procedures are ISO procedures:

The ability to customize screens and menus in a CMMS is a valuable tool in the management of ISO/QS procedures. By creating a new dictionary item in the file, it’s possible to add a BOOLEAN-formatted field, and place it on the screen as a "required" entry. You're now able to list all ISO and non ISO-related procedures via ad-hoc reporting features. Build yourself a new look-up, and you can sort the records according to their Y/N ISO "flag". Hands-on users can quickly find appropriate procedures when needed for review, or as part of an audit.

Job Safety Analysis (JSA) management:

In most manufacturing environments, Safety Procedures are defined for virtually every maintenance function performed. Documentation of these procedures provides valuable assurance that the job gets done safely and correctly. In many cases, these procedures are a matter of law, and routine discussion with employees is part of an effective safety program.

Whether they're called JSA's or Safe Maintenance Procedures or Job Tasks, they all basically outline the step-by-step procedures required to safely and correctly do the job. These procedures are the basis for many ISO/QS procedures for maintaining equipment.

As with corporate or departmental ISO procedures mentioned on the previous page, JSA's are commonly managed in one location by one or two employees for security purposes.

The same benefits can be reaped from a full-functioned CMMS as well; W Y S I W Y G format, plantwide access via PC's connected to your network, Create / Edit security, current information. Safety Procedures can be attached to Equipment records, or to PM routines as well. When Work Orders for the equipment are generated, you have the ability to print a copy of the Safety Procedure(s) as part of the job.

Identification of ISO-critical Equipment:

A basic requirement of ISO/QS certification is the identification of those pieces of equipment in your facility that have "a direct impact on the quality of the product". If employees don't know which pieces of equipment impact the quality of your product, it's doubtful that you'll be able to maintain it to provide consistent quality. Once again, computerized maintenance software provides a solution.

As mentioned earlier, one of the strengths of some CMMS programs is giving the user the ability to customize the program to meet their needs. Coupled with a responsive support service from the developer, user-defined fields can be added to data entry screens. A required "checkbox" or Y/N entry enables a company to answer the question "What ISO-Critical equipment am I responsible for?" The graphic below demonstrates this problem-solving feature.

"Qualified" Maintenance:

Once an organization identifies which equipment is ISO-critical, the next phase of the process is developed. Who is responsible for maintaining the equipment, and the skills required to do so need to be addressed. Human Resources, Craft Codes, and other integrated modules provide the solution.

Craft Codes are defined in the program, and Employee records are entered in a Human Resources file. By defining specific Training programs in an appropriate table, programs can be attached to individual employee records - either through Timecard screens, or directly from the Human Resources table. Entries made via the Timecard system should automatically update the H/R record to show attendance at Training sessions. Again, the reporting features throughout your software provide you with the tools to respond favorably to an audit.

Managing Critical Spares:

Its not enough to know which equipment is critical, who will maintain it, and what skills are required. Reality tells us that nothing lasts forever, and parts eventually wear out. Keeping the equipment on-line means having critical spare parts available in the event a breakdown occurs. When this happens, you must ensure that "shortcuts" aren't taken that will compromise your ability to keep the unit performing efficiently to maintain product quality.

Inventory tables, coupled with a Vendor database, provide maintenance organizations with the tools to ensure they have the right part when needed. Part status ratings called CR(Critical) or CS (Critical Spare) enable maintenance groups to manage items in more than one location in the plant. Or, you can create a single stockroom called "CRITICAL_SPARES" and group all essential or long lead-time parts there. Reporting could then reflect your ability to make essential repairs to critical equipment in a timely fashion.

Do what you Say:

Now that you've identified WHAT you do, your focus will be turned to the WHO, HOW, and WHEN aspect of ISO/QS management, or the "Do what you Say" step.

Preventive Maintenance is the minimum amount of resources required to maintain optimum equipment performance. Changing the oil and filter in the family SUV every week - although certainly a benefit for the engine - is hardly preventive maintenance. The same applies to your gear reducers, motors, cranes, conveyors and process lines. Every hour spent maintaining equipment affects profitability. On the other hand, spending too few hours on maintenance affects your equipment negatively, and seriously impacts its ability to maintain quality. That's where Preventive Maintenance (PM) pays off.

The pinnacle of any CMMS is its PM system. Every other module in the package only serves to support the PM system. Once the What, Who & How have been determined, the When becomes the job of the PM module. PM procedures detail the minimum steps required by the equipment manufacturer to maintain equipment up-time. The automotive industry's 3 months or 3,000-mile oil change interval is based on "normal" operation. Likewise, manufacturer's minimum standards for your equipment should be adjusted accordingly.

QUESTION: When does a company consider its PM system to be finished?

ANSWER: Never! Remember the saying -

If you keep on Doing what you're Doing ,

You'll keep on Getting what you're Getting.

Once PM procedures have been developed & tested, it's time to turn the process over to the PC. Having established the "Date Last Done" for all your equipment PM's, the computer assumes the responsibility of keeping track of the next time each maintenance function - or PM - is due. It does this by issuing a Work Order created from the information on the PM. Short-circuit this step, and you will certainly jeopardize your Certification, and lose the "Do What You Say" piece of the process!

Work Orders are generated from the PM procedures you've written, and assigned to the appropriate Craft personnel (or defined Crews) for execution. Once the work has been completed, the work orders are closed, with supporting comments and details noted. As an organization's work orders migrate from "reactive" to "proactive", their equipment up-time increases, and costs ultimately decrease.

As mentioned earlier in this report, JSA's or Safety Procedures can be attached to a PM that further detail the maintenance work required to safely keep the equipment running. Having a system that allows the user to draw information from several sources - without the need to duplicate in each - is certainly an asset provided by some CMMS packages. This report started out discussing the ability to create / manage SOP's in available tables. These records can be easily attached to a PM procedure without re-typing the information! Further, if changes are made to the parent document, they will be reflected automatically the next time a PM they are attached to is generated.

Prove It!:

Developing and managing all of this information takes the combined efforts of several groups within an organization. First, a System Manager oversees the operation of the program and is responsible for the training, implementation and maintenance of the software. Next, departmental staff must build the Human Resource information and related Training programs. The maintenance group must identify and develop the Equipment and Inventory information essential for successful management. Finally, a well-informed maintenance crew whose job it is to keep the equipment running is a must. Each step of these processes begins to create the documentation that satisfies the "Prove It" phase of ISO/QS-9000. Reports can be generated that answer the questions needed to verify compliance.

Since ISO/QS compliance involves Equipment, Inventory, Training, Maintenance & PM records, we decided to create a single menu where anyone involved in an audit could obtain information that demonstrates compliance. It's not uncommon for an auditor to ask for evidence of Equipment Identification, Critical Inventory, Employee Training or PM Compliance records from the person being interviewed. At WCI Steel, we have created a single menu in our software devoted to the "Prove It" phase of ISO/QS management. Anyone involved in the audit process knows how to access this menu. It contains reports or "evidence" of compliance to the "Do What You Say" phase. The ISO/QS-9000 Reports Menu in use at WCI Steel is shown on the below:

From this single menu, the department or individual being interviewed can answer questions like:

• What equipment is defined as ISO-critical in this Department?
• Can you show me how your crew is doing on their PM requirements?
• How may times - and when - have you completed PM work on Eqp.# xxxxxxxx?
• What are your Critical Spares?
• Which employees have been trained in Training program yyyyyyyy?
• What Quality-related SOPs exist in this department?
• Can you show me a copy of all the PMs for Eqp. # zzzzzzzz?
• Do you have any open PM Work Orders for the Millwrights?