When Indiana's Hartford Concrete Products became the first United States precast producer to log ISO 9001 certification, company management was prepared for the fact that it would be at least a year before the results would start to become evident in their bottom line. However, the certification process has provided other, more immediate benefits.

In pursuing ISO certification, Hartford's goals are to improve cost, efficiency, communications and quality. Since beginning the process in May 1998, the company has already made great strides in achieving these objectives.

Perhaps the greatest effect of certification on Hartford's operations is the system of discipline it has brought to the company. The ISO system's auditing process enhances management's role in enforcing certain procedures. Focussed on continual improvements in processes, the auditing protocol has provided the company with a formalized system of self-assessment that has resulted in advancements in productivity and quality control. "If a company keeps striving to improve, the efficiencies will come to the top," says J.D. Collins, acting president of Hartford Concrete.

Continual process improvement The ISO system is designed to improve a company's processes with three basic steps: say it, do it and prove it. The company is required to verify its quality procedures and document them. Certification provides a company with an external system that affirms and improves the quality assurance of its production processes. For Hartford Concrete, this mainly involves tracking procedures for its two "everyday" niche products, controlled environment vaults (CEVs) and utility manholes. The company also produces wastewater products and aboveground buildings.

Upon initial certification, a company has only completed the first major step of the ISO process. Every six months thereafter, that certification is reaudited. During each of these periods, registrars choose approximately five areas needing improvement to be addressed and monitored for progress during the next auditing period. According to Collins, these audit reviews aren't designed to verify if a company still meets ISO standards, but rather for process improvements since the last review.

Hartford also conducts its own monthly management reviews to examine problem areas acknowledged by the registrars. These detailed internal audits allow the company to determine its weak points, and to detect problems that might not have otherwise been found. This in turn helps reduce duplication of effort. "Employees document problems; these are reviewed every month, and corrective action is initiated," says Sam Lines, Hartford's quality engineer.

Having worked previously as a designer in Hartford's engineering department, Lines took on the role of quality engineer more than three years ago. This position was created in tandem with the company's pursuit of ISO certification, which Lines helped initiate shortly after taking charge of the quality department.

Quality control procedures "The most important change we've experienced since beginning the ISO process is the mindset change," reflects Lines. "We do things differently-we are now more conscientious about the existence of various documentation levels. Now that there is written evidence detailing Hartford Concrete Products' procedures, people are more inclined to follow these procedures."

ISO standards mandate that a company be able to identify its products at any stage of production. Since beginning certification, Hartford has set up a more effective and detailed identification system, enabling management to better evaluate and eliminate pitfalls tied to production and product/equipment procurement.

Before the certification process began, product inspection was generally the project supervisor's responsibility. As a result of the ISO process, Hartford now has a four-person quality department commissioned to inspect its products. "Having additional inspectors involved in the process adds accuracy," notes Collins. Each project is carefully labeled with a name and identification number, and receives an "inspected by" stamp when it has undergone the required inspections. An inspection of both the product and rebar cage ensures that the formwork receives its proper reinforcement, and that the cage's location within the formwork is correct.

Documentation of each product is conducted by the quality inspectors. Standard and custom projects receive equal documentation, notes Lines. Both a prepour and postpour inspection are performed, he says, and then the process is documented. Quality Inspector Richard Randolph, who gained knowledge working in production for 25 years, tracks products and performs testing to ensure that they are up to standards.

ISO 900? Of the ISO 9000 certification series, ISO 9001 is the most stringent standards level. This is due to the fact that ISO 9001 includes a design control element that is eliminated from ISO 9002. This element requires an examination of design through the stages of production. "The design review is another step in the validation process, whereby the product is further tested to make sure that it's working in the field, in bad weather, etc.," says Lines. "In this manner, the customer knows that he is getting what he asked for, and what you said he is getting. We have specific processes in place to ensure that our products function as well as we say they do."

Customer satisfaction has always been an important focus in Hartford's operations. The company's initial interest in ISO certification stemmed from a customer request. Hartford has gone to great lengths to satisfy customers, including bringing a number of products in-house. Providing an extensive product and parts line also ties in with the company's operating philosophy, which goes very much against the grain of outsourcing: Hartford fabricates most every component that goes into its products and does much of its own hauling.

Benefits evident Another area that has seen significant improvement with the advent of the ISO program is company-wide communications. Due to Hartford's employee stock ownership plan (Note ESOP box, page 6), the company has a unique management structure and many long-time employees with a vested interest in the company's welfare. ISO implementation has enhanced this structure, lending a more "open environment" to the company, notes Lines.

Around the time Lines was hired as quality engineer, Hartford management began promoting the concept of ISO certification to its employees. The management team set up separate meetings with each department in the company to discuss the company's goals with the ISO program, making sure everyone was involved in the process. These small discussion groups resulted in a great deal of feedback from employees.

"Communication is much better," says Lines. "It was evident right away that the ISO process was getting the employees more involved in the quality control process, and the departmental walls have been crumbling. In the past, personnel never came to the quality engineer's office. Since moving my office to the plant floor, employees are much happier having someone involved on the plant floor, and knowing that if they have a problem, action will be taken."

This is not to say that the process hasn't been met with some resistance. "With a process of continual change, there will be resistance throughout," notes Lines. "With the ISO process, there are people who don't like doing the documentation and haven't yet seen the physical outcome. Over time, little things will start adding up and paying back."

Because the ISO certification system is designed to implement ongoing process improvements over a period of time, it would naturally follow that financial gains from the program would be gradual. "When we decided to pursue ISO certification, it appeared to be a major cost factor," says Collins. "But when you make progress, that cost factor really begins to shrink down." Hartford Concrete has already achieved cost savings through the certification process by reducing redundancy and marketing the ISO concept to vendors, notes Collins.

The potential of marketing the ISO concept to vendors is a side benefit of certification, however, related to the company's dealings with large telecommunications customers in conjunction with its products. Because many of these customers' systems are set up for international business, Hartford is often able to bypass two years of process by informing them of the company's ISO 9000 certification. Collins believes that eventually this will also be the case with businesses throughout the U.S.