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(Continued from page 75) Classification societies are in a better position than most to judge maritime standards, so many have affiliates that do certifications, among them the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Lloyd's and Det Norske Veritas. Why Do It? The trend has even penetrated post-Communist Russia: that country's largest tanker operator, Novoship, is reportedly seeking cer- tification. An estimated 2,000 sites have been certified in the U.S. and Canada. In Europe, the number of certified sites is estimated at 25,000. There are several very good rea- sons for this boom. Certifying a level of quality can increase opera- tional efficiency and control, and lower costs. A lot of customers just flat out demand that certification be acquired by any company they buy from, to manage their own costs. Also, just having the market know your company has achieved ISO 9000 certification can bring in busi- ness. In short, ISO has become a poweful marketing tool. Many believe ISO 9000 certifica- tion may become a prerequisite for tapping into the coalescing Euro- pean Community (EC). Solar Tur- bines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caterpillar, Inc., recently achieved ISO 9000 certification. According Solar's Larry Sera, a marketing/ communications specialist, Solar does most of its business outside the U.S. and its customers requested this certification. "It's sort of a re- quirement to play the game nowa- days," he said. Even companies like shipyards that don't necessarily export have to answer the question: Is ISO 9000 certification worth it? "Yes," was the emphatic response of Darrell Green, a spokesman for Atlantic Marine, Mobile, Ala., who said a lot of U.S. companies are now learning about the respect for ISO 9000 in other world markets. "Once you mention ISO, they seem very inter- ested in bringing a ship to the yard." "One of the benchmarks of the commercial world is the ISO stan- dard," said Ed Waryas, director of commercial marketing for Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), which recently achieved ISO 9001 certifi- cation. Mr. Waryas said it required no small amount of effort to be cer- tified — and it was done on the first attempt, something a reported 30 percent of companies manage to do — but it was worth it. "Everybody's identifying with those standards. It's something we needed to do. It shows our commitment to making it in the commercial market. The in- ternational owners can look at that and see that Newport News is right up there, meeting those standards." Ms. Flematti said the eventual goal in the European community is to have one accrediting organiza- tion in each country, each with an accreditation quality level accept- able to all. This would be achieved through ^ Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) to signify that one accredit- ing organization recognizes the va- February, 1994 ISO 9000 Certification Circle 204 on Reader Service Card 79 lidity of another, and therefore of its registrars. Such a system could also mean that products from companies not certified to ISO 9000 might be at a disadvantage, or even outright disqualified. What Should A Company Look For In Becoming Certified? Every company must evaluate ISO 9000 certification for itself, but certain questions must be asked: Are its competitors ISO 9000 certi- fied? Does it wish to do business with the EC? If so, are your products governed by one of the EC Directives which may mandate certification? (This last question can be answered by the Office of the European Trade Representative, U.S. Department of Commerce.) Once a company opts for certifi- cation, who will certify it? Must the registrar be accredited, and if so, by whom? 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We know contracts. given market, it pays to make cer- tain that market will accept certifi- cation by the registrar you choose. There are no simple answers about ISO 9000, and answers vary — de- pending not only on what a company does, but who it asks. Ask them carefully, and get answers from multiple sources. Only then should your company make the a decision whether to be- come part of the immense market trend toward ISO. Because every threat to your ship doesn 't come from the sea?M Headquarters Mount Laurel • Atlanta (609) (404) 235-5000 381-9000 INTERNATIONAL INC Washington • Newport Beach • Denver (202) (714) (303) 342-1000 852-8000 297-2000
