What is a Quality Management System? A Quality Management System
is a systematic way of monitoring and controlling the essential
activities of a business. The development of a Quality
Management System starts with a defining of the company
organizational structure, responsibilities, procedures and
resources needed to achieve a quality product or service. Once
defined, this becomes the benchmark for management to measure
and verify compliance to the necessary conditions to ensure
quality. Why do I need one? A Quality Management System provides
management with the tools and measurements needed to make
effective business decisions. A Quality Management System brings
together all the activities of the company to focus on
efficiency, reduction of manufacturing cost, scrap minimization,
continuous improvement, and, most importantly, customer
satisfaction. Many industries require suppliers to demonstrate
compliance to a quality standard (i.e. ISO 9001, API Q1). This
compliance is intended to give the purchaser confi