Patton Earns ISO-9001 Certification

The Nature of the Beast
ISO-9001 is one of a set of five quality assurance documents written by the International Standards Organization (ISO). The ISO is made upof subcommittees representing nations (or groups of nations) worldwide. Their intention was to merge varying quality standards into one globalstandard that could be a "common denominator" in world commerce. This set of five documents (know collectively as ISO 9000/Q90) has become theglobal quality assurance standard.

Of the five documents, three (ISO-9001, 9002 and 9003) provide distinct models of quality assurance. The other two (ISO-9000 and 9004)contain supporting guidelines. Of the three models of QA, ISO-9001 is the most stringent, covering design/development, production, installationand servicing. Since Patton is involved in all of these phases, we chose to pursue ISO-9001 certification. Companies not involved in all phases may pursue less-stringent ISO-9002 or ISO-9003 certification.

The Trickle Down Effect
Achieving ISO certification was an arduous and expensive task. Why do it? One reason is that ISO certification has become a key factor inthe acceptance or rejection of suppliers worldwide. Global entities such as the EEC, EFTA, DOD, SBAC and JAA have urged or required theirsuppliers(and those who supply to their suppliers) to meet ISO quality standards. Given the inevitable trickle down effect, it's clear what will happento high tech companies outside of the ISO umbrella in the very near future.

Everybody Wins
Aside from the negative "barrier" argument for ISO certification, there is a more positive motivator. The quality assurance procedures now in place atPatton will cut manufacturing time, reduce errors, provide for a defined customer feedback loop, and promote a continuous quality improvement culture.The result? Your customers win. You win. We win. Everybody wins! By the way, our Approval Certificate Number is 96-512. We will be glad to fax youa copy of our Certificate of Approval upon request.