1. Client Background

Client was a mid-sized aftermarket automotive parts producer. They needed to be ISO 9001 certified for some of their critical customers.

2. The Challenge

The client had reached their recertification audit, which had a new auditor with different pressure from the accreditation entity. They had been grandfathered in with their ISO 9001:2008 Certification for a few cycles, but that was no longer allowed. They did not have the resources to get it up to par.

3. The Approach

The way we went about it was to take the standard, and compare what they were already doing to the new standard. We combed through their procedures and documents to reconnect the dots according to ISO 9001:2015.

4. The Solution

As we combed through it all, we made the appropriate changes to the documents and procedures according to the standard. We packaged it all up so that the team could easily find what they needed for the auditor, and understood what it was for.

5. The Results

The team passed ISO 9001:2015 recertification. They are able to continue to wave the ISO flag. They have already been through a second audit since, where they achieved an “Outstanding” benchmark for their operations process.

6. Key Takeaways / Lessons Learned

If someone has a great system, you don't need to reinvent the wheel. A few choice adjustments might be all you need to get to wherever you are trying to go. We didn’t totally gut their quality system and process, we just re-aligned with the new standard and made a few improvements along the way.