April 2007
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Dear Subscriber,

"Nothing is certain but death and taxes"...quoted by Benjamin Franklin. "A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body" ... "A penny saved is a penny earned" ..."Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it"..."All wars are follies, very expensive and very mischievous ones"..."Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do"..."Applause waits on success"..."Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!"

So where are we going with this. Hopefully, it wasn't the taxes that got you down - but the beer that got you up! What can we say? If this newsletter made it out on time last week the title would have read "Happy Easter and Passover". Since the 16th was D-Day for personal tax returns I thought about Mr. Franklin's famous words and realized that even though our glaciers are slowly melting most things really don't change that much. For more of Bejamin Franklin's quotes...and there are a whole bunch of them...check out Brainy Quote

The real cost of poor quality - Part I (the bad & ugly)
 

We hear so much these days of outsourcing, cost cutting, LEAN operations, employee reductions. I sometimes think that our great nation's rock solid business base is joining the world's glaciers in melting away. When does the greed end and the solutions begin?

"We cannot solve problems with the same thinking we had when we created the problems" - Albert Einstein. It's no wonder this man is still making millions of dollars...what is it going to take to get American businesses to heed some of Mr. Einstein's advice and think out of the box like so many other countries have?

Example: We just received an article where the FDA shut down a medical device manufacturer due to complete system failure. These folks create heart valves and tubes along with various tissue based devices that are used in open heart surgery. Here were some of the findings: manufacturing products in a facility with a poorly constructed and poorly maintained clean room where sterilized devices are further processed; failing to adequately monitor critical manufacturing environments for possible microbial contamination; failing to properly test products for sterility and fever- causing contaminants; and failing to scientifically support product expiration dates. Who in the world would want unsterile products put inside their body? Now if that doesn't get your attention I hope the next time you get on an airplane you don't think twice about all the thousands of pieces of airflight hardware that are involved in keeping your ride safely in the sky. Does it matter to you that some of those parts were outsourced to some obscure manufacturing facility (either in a foreign country or even right here in the good 'old USA) without a proper quality system in place? Hey, we don't want to ruin your day with doom and gloom because there is a brighter side as your read further down in Part II of this article.


WQN's Featured Product
 
Epicor - Global Business Solutions For Your Expanding Enterprise

This month we would like to introduce you to another one of our partners. Epicor, named one of FORTUNE magazine's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies in 2006, is a global leader dedicated to providing integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM) and professional service automation (PSA) software solutions to midmarket companies and divisions of the Global 1000. Founded in 1984, Epicor serves over 20,000 customers in more than 140 countries, providing solutions in over 30 languages. Employing innovative service-oriented architecture (SOA) and Web services technology, Epicor delivers end-to-end, industry- specific solutions for manufacturing, distribution, retail, hospitality and services that enable companies to drive increased efficiency, improve performance and build competitive advantage. Epicor solutions provide the scalability and flexibility to meet today's business challenges, while empowering enterprises for even greater success tomorrow. Epicor offers a comprehensive range of services with its solutions, providing a single point of accountability to promote rapid return on investment and low total cost of ownership.

Here are some of Epicor's recent Awards and Industry Recognition: FORTUNE 100 Fastest-Growing Companies - FORTUNE Magazine - 2006 100 Fastest-Growing Tech Companies - Business 2.0 Magazine - 2006 Best Customer Service Organization - International Business Awards - 2006 Computerworld Honors Program - Chairmen's Committee - 2006 Best ERP Solution - Windows IT Pro Magazine - 2006 Best After Sales Support - Contact Center World Member's Choice Awards - 2006 Hottest Companies - START Magazine - 2006 Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100 - 2006 CRM Excellence Award - Customer Interaction Solutions magazine - 2006 Top 100 Products - Epicor Enterprise - Accounting Today - 2006 Fastest Growing Partner - Progress Software - 2006 Top 100 Logistics IT Providers - Inbound Logistics - 2006 Company of the Year - Software Council of Southern California - 2005, 2006

We like Epicor because they have a solution for everyone, including small to medium business enterprises. Check out their website and see for yourself. If you like some more information give us a call, or better yet give Selena a shout and let her know that the folks at WQN sent you over. Salena Sebion Channel Manager ~ Western Americas Manufacturing Solutions Phone: 952.417.5216 Toll Free: 800.638.3208 ext. 5216 E-mail: ssebion@epicor.com


The real cost of poor quality - Part II (the good news)
 

One of the biggest misconceptions is that mention of quality refers to the control of a manufactured part. True, the heart valves that were mentioned in Part I of this article need "quality control", also known as QC. What many top executives and business owners continue to ignore is the proper implementation of a "quality management system", known as a QMS. The second biggest misconception is that a quality system such as ISO 9000 is mainly for manufacturers. NOT TRUE. In fact, the largest growth in ISO 9000 is currently in the service sector.

If your organization does not have a formal QMS you are missing out. There is a likely chance that you are losing as much as 20-25% of your bottom line profits due to improper communication and waste, usually due to human error. We aren't referring to an employee handbook, a MIL-I-45208 system, an older fragmented TQM system, or something Six Sigma or LEAN. We are referring to a complete quality system such as ISO 9001:2000 - the whole pie, not just a slice or two.

Take a look at the graphic to help with this next exercise. What happens if one of the figures fall down? What steps have your organization taken to assure complete process control? What have you done to guarantee business continuity when someone leaves the company or is forced to be out of work from an emergency? Have you taken the time to secure all the knowledge that is stored in the minds of so many of your staff? (Thank you JC Penny for - it's all inside) It's only fair for an organization to retrieve their largest investment...that is stored in the memory banks of the employees. It's also a good idea for employees to share their knowledge and tools with their associates. Why have a form with 20 different versions when you can have 20 people using the same and current form? Make sense?

Moving on, have you taken a survey recently of your customers to see how good of a job you are doing. If they are not happy and there are issues - what are you doing about it? Your customer may report minor issues. This is very important. If these issues are unchecked they may build-up to an unsatisfactory result - losing the customer! What can be done to prevent the problems from reoccurring? What is the cost in losing a dissatisfied customer - and do you care? These are tough questions indeed but the good news is there are easy solutions.

Implementation of a comprehensive quality management system such as ISO 9000 for most companies, AS 9100 for aerospace, TS 16949 for automotive, TL 9000 for telecommunications, ISO 13489 for medical devices, etc...these are all systems designed to bring a company together and streamline as well as continually improve your operation. The result is a highly organized and more competitive organization that is then able to compete in a global marketplace. So the next time a quality issue is raised I hope you embrace it like so many other thousands of companies. If you need help in getting started Worldwide Quality Network has a variety of solutions. This may sound like one of those reality show warnings, however,please do not try to do this on your own. Get professional assistance so that you have a system that everyone understands and is easy to use. A QMS was not designed just for the quality manager in your company. They can only drive the system...and it is the rest of you that need to be involved - from top management to outside sales. Take a look at our 3 minute movie below and contact us with any questions.


ISO 14065 standard
 
- new tool for international efforts to address greenhouse gas emissions

ISO has launched ISO 14065:2007, a new addition to its toolbox of standards for addressing climate change and supporting emissions trading schemes. In March 2006, ISO launched its greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and verification standards ISO 14064:2006. The complementary new standard, ISO 14065:2007, Greenhouse gases - Requirements for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies for use in accreditation or other forms of recognition, published on 15 April 2007, details requirements for GHG validation or verification bodies for use in accreditation or other forms of recognition.

ISO 14065 provides requirements for bodies that undertake GHG validation or verification using ISO 14064 or other relevant standards or specifications. The objectives of the ISO 14064 and ISO 14065 standards are to: develop flexible, regime-neutral tools for use in voluntary or regulatory GHG schemes; promote and harmonize best practice; support the environmental integrity of GHG assertions; assist organizations to manage GHG-related opportunities and risks, and support the development of GHG programmes and markets.

ISO 14065 was developed by a working group of some 70 international experts from 30 countries and several liaison organizations, including the International Accreditation Forum. In addition, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has observer status. The working group combined expertise from ISO's Committee on Conformity Assessment (CASCO) and technical committee ISO/TC 207, Environmental management.


WQN & Affiliates Networking
 

Every month (2nd Tuesday) - Local ASQ meeting - Camarillo, CA at CoCo's Restaurant off 101 FWY and Los Posas. Open to the public. Anyone visiting our area is invited to attend one of our dinner meetings or company tours sponsored by the American Society for Quality. The topics vary but are usually focused on quality improvement issues. For information on meeting places in your local area please check the www.asq.org link.


WQN, Inc's Product and Services
 

There are so many ways to improve an operation. Professional assistance is necessary to get the job done right. You might be able to do your own taxes, but it usually not recommended. But do you perform your own dental work? Yikes...we hate that analogy but it does seem to work. Seriously, take a look at some of our low cost solutions. You won't regret it!



If you have any comments that you would like to share please contact news@wqntoday.com. We are also looking for articles and case studies - anything related to quality and business improvement issues.

Sincerely, The WQN Team


Worldwide Quality Network, Inc.

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Fax: 805-987-2195

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