Ultramain Systems Recommended for ISO Certification

After a weeklong audit process involving lots of blood, sweat, and interviews (well, mostly the last one), USI is proud to announce that we have been recommended for ISO 9000 certification! This long-awaited step is the final hurdle in USI's quest for ISO certification, following a rigorous run up to the audit itself, spearheaded by QA Manager Kim Steuber, and QA Analyst Victoria Charters. As Kim reminisced:

Looking back on our audit week, there are two things that stick out most in my mind ... how much we learned from our Orion Auditor, Sandra, and how INCREDIBLY proud I am of the people that I work with!  They are really experts in their areas, and it showed! It was an extraordinary pleasure to watch our Ultramain team perform. Congrats to us all!

The success of the audit was immediately lauded by USI's President, Mark McCausland.

"We are pleased to have passed our final audit with such high marks. Much work by all at USI has gone into our achievement."

Added Technical Vice President John Warren,

"It has been a long road," he said, "but we kept our eye on the prize, and now we look look forward to reaping the benefits of our continuous improvement program."

The audit covered most of ULTRAMAIN's departments, and took place over a series of interviews, many at the desks of the interviewees themselves. As a whole, those interviewed during the audit spoke of the absolute thoroughness of the auditor, but, as Director Ron Brown said, "The prep work that Kim and Victoria did with all of us had us very ready for what we would go through." Brian Carter, interviewed under the aegis of the his Training Manager position, said that the interview seemed "a little bit like a deposition." The bulk of the interview itself centered around how each interviewee did their job. "She was concerned about how records are retained through several business processes," explained Brian. "It was more about doing our jobs, and less about ISO," added Ron, "though she was able to glean ISO-related information by talking to us about our jobs." In the end, said Customer Support Manager Bruce Cronin, "Although it was a bit stressful, she explained what she wanted very well, and we learned a lot about how we can improve our own processes." Auditor Sandra Toalston had this to say:

Ultramain Systems Inc (USI)'s senior management's commitment to their QMS was evident through their involvement in management reviews and overall commitment to quality. USI has very talented and professional employees which helped to ensure the successful completion of this Stage 2 registration audit.

Following the reccomendation by the auditor, USI should be receiving its official certification within 45 days.