Quality Steel Through ISO 9001 Certification and Beyond
Developed by the International Organization for Standardization, ISO 9001 certification is widely recognized and respected globally as a mark of quality and competence. Over 150 countries have adopted ISO 9001 as a national standard. As a quality management framework for organizations, including manufacturing and construction, healthcare, financial services, information technology, and food and beverage industries, ISO 9001 requirements have become the worldwide gold standard for excellence and consistency.
Choosing partners, suppliers, and fabricators meeting ISO 9001 requirements assures customers they’re working with an organization offering a competitive advantage through improved quality, better efficiency, and enhanced risk management. ISO certification ensures steel suppliers and fabricators improve product quality through effective process control measures during manufacturing. ISO 9001 requires a risk-based approach to quality management, with a strong customer focus and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Organizations must show effective planning, support, and infrastructure to establish, implement, and routinely improve a quality management system appropriate for its scale and operations to achieve certification. ISO 9001 certification is not “one and done.” Organizations must go through the process every three years.
Westfield Steel’s Journey of Continuous Improvement
Westfield Steel, Inc. was first awarded our initial ISO 9001 certification on Oct. 24, 2008. Our internal process and first steps toward achieving the ISO 9001 requirements began in 2006 when several determined Westfield Steel managers set out to establish a quality management program for our growing steel supply and service center.
Phase one of the ISO certification process included reviewing and evaluating all our procedural documents and paperwork. Westfield Steel went above and beyond with our documentation, including 33 written quality procedures (ISO required six) and 33 unique job descriptions and their relation to quality management.
The final phase of the certification audit includes on-site auditing to ensure all the organization follows all documented procedures. Representatives from American Systems Registrar, the internationally accredited registrar responsible for conducting the audit, rigorously examine the entire facility. They speak with all types of personnel regarding Westfield Steel’s systems and processes. Every process is checked, from the most seemingly trivial paperwork to essential floor operations.
As Westfield Steel has grown, evolved, and expanded to multiple locations, developing and implementing quality management has become more challenging—literally and figuratively. Since 2017, Westfield Steel’s ISO recertifications have included the namesake headquarters and facilities in Terre Haute, Indiana, and Springfield, Ohio. Westfield Steel earned our most recent recertification on Oct. 9, 2020, and we’re looking forward to recertification again in the fall of 2023.
Continuing our attitude of continuous improvement, Westfield Steel continues to move forward, as we will soon start our journey toward IATF 16949 certification.
Developed by the International Automotive Task Force, the IATF 16949 standards and requirements are sector-specific to the automotive industry. IATF 16949 builds upon ISO 9001 and is more stringent with additional requirements specific to the automotive industry, product safety, traceability, and supply chain management. The IATF 16949 standards are among the most widely used international standards in the automotive industry’s supply chain and assembly processes.
More high-quality automotive suppliers are demonstrating their commitment to quality and exceeding manufacturers’ requirements through IATF certification. The process can take a year or longer to complete. However, it will open doors to new opportunities with major manufacturers, showing our existing automotive industry partners just how much they can rely on parts and materials sourced from Westfield Steel.
As a steel distributor and fabricator adhering to an ISO 9001 quality management system and working toward also meeting all additional IATF 16949 requirements, Westfield Steel has confidence in every steel bar, beam, plate, or other machined and processed product leaving our facilities. Not only have they all passed every inspection, but they’ll also exceed expectations while meeting the strictest standards or customer requirements.
Partners in any industry can count on Westfield Steel for exceptional parts, products, and services. With our highly skilled and experienced team and thoroughly regulated and reviewed processes for quality assurance, customers know they are receiving a product they can trust.
We’re continually improving our quality systems and processes to meet and exceed our customers’ needs and expectations. Talk to one of our experts today, and we’ll be the steel supplier you can count on to help get your job done.
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