ISO: A Better Way

By Kathleen McNamara

Want to know a way to show the world that you really have your act together? A way to tackle your workload in an organized, efficient way? Do what your business does better and keep employees happier?

Well, we all can't say we're strategic gurus, organizational wizards or human resources faith healers. But there is an internationally recognized program out there that can help. It's called the International Organization of Standardization, more commonly known as ISO. This acronym doesn't exactly match the letters of the title. However, ISO also refers to the Greek "isos," meaning equal.

At a recent Small Business Development Center Brown Bag Lunch presentation, speakers Denise Chambre and Richard Rowe described the ISO system to entrepreneurs in attendance. Chambre and Rowe, a husband and wife team, are also owners of local consulting company ISOtec, which helps companies achieve that level of process management and standardization.

Where it Came From

Established in 1947 and first published in 1951, ISO is a worldwide set of process standards designed to promote maximum efficiency within a company and consistent quality of a product or service. The original standards were developed for use in manufacturing companies, but managers soon found they could be applied to any type and size of business. Today more than 90 countries and 270,000 companies have adopted ISO practices. And there are now more than 12,000 published ISO standards.

Chambre explained the origins of ISO in the U.S. military, which sought a way of standardizing its practices. The application of ISO in the business world, however, came from Great Britain, where the process was formalized. Today there is an international ISO organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. There are 135 member countries. The United States representative is the American National Standards Institute.

Specialized certifications exist for many different types of functions -- for example, ISO 1400 is an environmental certification, BS 8800 is for health and safety, and SA 8000 is for ethical manufacturing and sourcing practices. The ISO mark appears in hundreds of different places - telephone cards, wire roping and screws, and even currencies. Ever notice the "ISO" printed on a roll of film? That's the mark of standardization.

The most common certification is ISO 9000, which is designed for quality management. When seeking to achieve the ISO 9000 status, a company could standardize dozens of different functions including sales, design, production, product inspection or testing, storage, delivery, worker training and data organization. The overall goal is to measure, track, review and improve performance.

More than Just Theory

By establishing a set of standardized ground rules, ISO keeps the company "in check" to standards recognized as best practices. When a business guideline or rule becomes a documented and understood company policy, then there is no excuse to waiver from it.

When a company has completed its "transformation" to ISO, it can also seek to become ISO certified -- a process that must be reviewed every year. The benefits of ISO certification are numerous: from a marketing standpoint, it represents that the company has adopted tried-and-true standards for quality and efficiency. Among industry colleagues and competitors, it also shows that the company has invested time and resources into the act of making best standards part of everyday business.

One local company, Klocke of America, Inc. recently achieved ISO 9001 certification. The Fort Myers-based cosmetics packaging manufacturer sought out the certification to prove that it is capable of maintaining quality and efficiency in its products. "It means that our standards for the company are high," says Dee Intihar, ISO facilitator for the company. "It means that companies will want to do business with us because our standards are high."

Klocke's ISO 9001 certification is more comprehensive that 9000. The company began setting its sights on the certification last year, working with ISOtec to get the standards in place. Then Klocke was subject to an intense audit of its internal systems by an ISO representative. "She will be back every year," Intihar says, "and this certificate is good for three years."

Now the fast-growing company is seeking to further its scope of production to pharmaceutical and food packaging, meaning even more stringent guidelines. It is also adopting management standards as it seeks to certify for GMP, or good management practices. If the company achieves that certification, it will be subject to unannounced check-ups to maintain the status.

It's a strict system, Intihar says, but Klocke is prepared to operate on that level. The company conducts its own internal audits every three months. Managers review each others' departments to make sure that company standards are being followed. The result of the process, Intihar says, has been a better overall team atmosphere. "It's because we're all trying to understand how this process works," she says.

The ISO status is also important to the company because it does much of its business in the international marketplace, where the certification is a hallmark of good business. "Our company is already a leader within our industry," said Klocke Vice President and General Manager Juergen Steyer. "To maintain that status, we felt it was imperative to go through the ISO certification process in order to confirm our high level of quality control."

For more information about the International Organization for Standardization, visit the group's website at www.iso.ch. For information about The American National Standards Institute, visit www.ansi.org

The Small Business Development Center, located in the Walden Center in Bonita Springs, is a joint effort by the U.S. Small Business Administration and Florida Gulf Coast University. In addition to its free monthly brown bag lunch, the center sponsors many free or low-cost resources for small business owners: confidential counseling, a comprehensive resource and computer library, networking events, workshops and other events. Call 948-4040 for more information.