February 3, 2012
02/06/12 A local company has successfully received an International Organization for Standardization (ISO 9001:2008) certification, accredited by Quality Systems Registrars (QSR), USA. Wiers, based, in Plymouth, also has International Trucks dealerships in Lafayette and Logansport and a sales office in Indianapolis.
According to a press release issued on January 27, 2012, ISO 9001 is a global quality management standard. The certification of compliance with ISO 9001:2008 recognizes that Wiers’ policies, practices and procedures ensure consistent quality in the category of maintenance, management and advisory service for commercial vehicle clients. Typically, manufacturing companies are more likely to complete ISO 9001:2008 than service companies. Wiers is one of the very few in this industry that now holds this accreditation.
On Thursday, Tom Wiers, owner and president of the company, gathered all of the Plymouth location employees to thank them for their part in the success the company has achieved. Wiers said, “We don’t get together enough to pat each other on the back.” He added, “This is one step further in our quality journey.” “This is a tribute to the work you do on a daily basis.” Wiers told his staff.
Matt Cripe, service center manager, was just one of the employees making suggestions to improve quality. According to Andrea Reed, quality coordinator, Cripe initiated the practice of using window clings on windshields of vehicles to ensure that the wheels were properly torque.
Wiers said, “This certification demonstrates how serious Wiers is about quality.” “The process to receive this certification took 493 days and involved countless hours of quality systems development, process analysis and refinement, internal audits, and written documentation of procedures.” he said.
In his remarks on Thursday, Wiers said, “We have been getting a lot of positive feedback from our clients.” He said the ultimate goal is to guarantee client satisfaction.
To maintain its certification, Wiers will have to undergo periodic audits by QSR to ensure continued compliance and to assess initiative for ongoing improvement.
Vice-President of Quality & Operations, Drew Hettich, said, “ISO provided us with a system to ensure we continually meet or exceed the expectations of our clients.”
More information on Wiers can be found at www.wiers.com.
Carol Anders Correspondent