We're pleased to announce that Intelex has been chosen by Telenor Pakistan to provide them with a web-based software solution designed to address all aspects of an effective telecommunications quality management program including document control, nonconformance and corrective-action tracking, and audits management, etc.

Telenor Pakistan is a subsidiary of Telenor ASA – a telecommunications service provider in 13 countries across Europe and Asia. Since its launch in 2005, Telenor Pakistan has become the single largest direct European investment in Pakistan to date, which as a result has contributed to its success as the fastest growing mobile network in the country, with coverage reaching deep into many of the most remote areas of Pakistan.

When Telenor Pakistan began shopping for a software provider, they identified several requirements for the solution that would best meet their needs, the top three being an easy-to-use document control system, a reliable audits management program, and the ability to streamline TL9000 initiatives organization-wide. We knew that our out-of-the-box quality management system didn’t address TL9000 requirements so we used our iForms^® technology to build custom forms and reporting capabilities that would comply with TL9000.

"In what is an exciting, fast moving market, Telenor Pakistan always needs to be ready to meet growing market demands and offer reliable and robust services that our customers demand of us. Choosing a TL9000-based QMS is a step in that direction. TL9000 includes all the ISO 9000 requirements, and 90 additional requirements specific to the telecommunications industry. However, what really sets TL9000 apart from ISO 9000 are the set of measurements, which can be benchmarked globally under various product categories. We selected Intelex because it's QMS, iForms^®, and reporting software could be easily configured to manage the TL9000 measurements, in addition to the standard requirements of ISO 9000. We look forward to a rewarding partnership between Telenor Pakistan and Intelex Technologies," said Khalid Shehzad Chief Technology Officer of Telenor Pakistan.

"Telenor Pakistan has only been around since 2005; however, in just four years they've become the dominant player in the telecommunications industry in Pakistan. They have experienced tremendous growth over the last few years by dedicating themselves to providing their customers with a superior product and customer service," commented Mark Jaine, President and CEO of Intelex Technologies Inc. "Implementing the Intelex Quality Management System with iForms^® is just another way for Telenor Pakistan to solidify their commitment to providing high-quality services."

The purpose of a quality management system is to enable continual improvement regardless of market conditions; therefore, organizations that had the foresight and business smarts to have implemented effective quality management systems prior to the current recession have been proactively refining their business processes, minimizing the potential for nonconformance expenses, and enabling complete performance visibility as opposed to implementing last minute reactionary decisions intended to cut costs quickly. Invariably the "quick fix" approach to reducing the bottom line will directly impact product and service quality, which will ultimately have a negative impact on revenue generation.

The article "Prepared for Battle: Defend yourself in any economy with sound quality management" by Peter Grossi in this month's Quality Progress magazine delves much more deeply into the concept that businesses with existing quality management programs are better positioned to adapt during difficult economic conditions. "What organizations need to keep in mind, however, is that while the impact of a recession may be significant from a psychological perspective, in reality the application of sound quality management principles has a much more significant effect on an organizations success than the state of the economy."

So where does that leave businesses that don't have a quality management program in place? It leaves these organizations with a significant opportunity to improve their performance and strengthen their business operations so that they too can prosper regardless of the economic climate.

To read Peter Gross's complete article please visit the Quality Progress website. For information on the Intelex Quality Management System you can register for a live demonstration or free trial access online.

An effective, well-implemented Quality Management System (QMS) enables organizations to improve their bottom line through increase performance visibility. A QMS that takes a complete life-cycle approach to quality management will track all of the nonconformances, corrective actions, workflow processes, tasks, documents, and resources associated with quality in real-time.  In addition, best-in-class organizations continue to improve and strengthen  their quality management system after the initial implementation. In an effort to help organizations within the automotive industry to facilitate this improvement The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) recently announced they will be offering two courses designed to help organizations strengthen their Quality Management Systems.

The first course is “Effective Audit Findings for Continual Improvement.” Using audit findings as a method of identifying problems with a QMS and facilitating improvements based on these findings is an effective way to strengthen your QMS. But sometimes these findings are missing criteria, lack objective evidence, can be difficult to interpret or lack a focus on continual improvement. This course, intended for internal auditors, management representatives, second-party auditors, and certification body auditors will shine some light on how to make the most of your audit findings. As the AIAG website describes, “this course uses a practical approach to explain how to develop and document effective findings and nonconformity reports. Using workgroup activities and hands-on participation, instruction will help quality managers and organizations improve the quality of the findings written by internal auditors.”

The second course is “Mastering the Process Approach Step By Step.” As ISO standards require all service and manufacturing industries to understand, implement and monitor a QMS using a process approach, this course intended for internal auditors, management representatives, process owners, process implementers, quality personnel, certification body auditors, and second-party auditors will outline the necessary steps to master the process approach. As the AIAG website states, “Whether your organization processes foods, manufactures aerospace components, assembles automotive modules or delivers furniture, you need to understand the fundamentals and benefits of the process approach if you plan to become, or are currently certified to an ISO standard.” This course walks you through the process development tools demonstrating how to use them and explaining the difference between an elemental approach with threads-through clauses as opposed to the process approach with process audit trails.

Both courses run from 8 AM to 5 PM and are being offered on multiple dates beginning this June and running until December. Visit the AIAG’s website at www.aiag.org  for specific dates, costs and location.

The ASQ World Conference for Quality and Improvement is being held at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota from May 18-20, 2009. This year, Intelex will be sending three representatives; Bevin Lyon, Daniel Marcus, and Tomas Kuras. The guys will be available for live demonstrations of our:

Quality Management System Nonconformance & Corrective Actions Module Document Control System Training Management System Supplier Performance Tracking Module Audits Management System, and more.

If you're already using Intelex's software please stop by for a visit! It’s always great to catch up with clients.

Workplace accidents and fatalities are a common occurrence, but many safety incidents could have been avoided through improved training management, accurate data reporting, internal audits, and generating a culture of safety within an organization.

The American Society of Safety Engineers has published a great, unbiased article titled “Technically Safe: Gaining 360◦ Visibility with Technology” by Peter Thiveos. The article addresses the key components of a successful safety management program, business rules and practical solutions, the value of designating a safety champion, and the benefits of using technology to improve an organization’s safety performance.

Mr. Thiveos speaks to the need for a comprehensive system that addresses multiple facets including; training and certification management, incident and observation management, records and document management, risk assessment, monitoring and audit management, and corrective action management. “While all these systems have inherent benefits independently, collectively they provide unparalleled functionality and improvements in managing, compiling and reporting on an organization’s overall safety status and SH&E governance,” Peter Thiveos.

Intelex clients’ Metso Minerals and Ferro Corporation are excellent examples of corporations that have actively generated a culture of safety consciousness across their organizations. One of the contributing factors to Metso Minerals’ success was their safety champion Chris Adkins. Mr. Adkins spear headed the implementation of the Intelex Safety Management System and communicated Metso Minerals’ safety program across the company. “With the Safety Management System now operational Metso Supervisors and managers can manage safety documents, report employee incidents and draw upon continuously updated best practice guidelines from Metso operations worldwide ... Part of my role is to create standard practices that are equal in every region. With verifiable results I can help protect and maximize the potential of Metso’s greatest resource, our employees.” Chris Adkins – Global Health & Safety Specialist.

Ferro Corporation’s Systems and Development Manager Art Plow is also their safety champion. In a recent case study, Art described Intelex as  “an integral part of Ferro’s world-wide Safe From Within Program and as a critical piece of our [Ferro’s] larger effort to send all of our 6,500 employees home safely to their families at the end of the day, in some 17 time zones around the world." By using Intelex Safety Management Software to track all safety-related data and documentation in real-time, Ferro has been able to accurately measure their success in terms of improving their safety performance organization-wide. 

Although safety management systems require an initial investment, the return-on-invest is quickly recovered through improved operating efficiency and a reduction in environment, health, and safety incidents. This sentiment is echoed by Peter Thiveos in the aforementioned article, “In light of today’s nation and global economic condition, organizations need to understand that technology innovation and automation is one of the best ways to identify additional cost savings in their operations. Companies should always spend on effective technology―and, in the author’s opinion, they should spend more in a downturned economy.”

Learn more about how the Intelex’s Safety Management Software can help your organization improve its safety performance.

Intelex Technologies has released its latest software innovation, the Intelex OpenPass API, a revolutionary application programming interface that will enable its users to sync and report data between multiple business management systems.

The Intelex OpenPass API functions as a conduit for seamlessly feeding data between multiple software programs. This means that Intelex’s environment, quality, and health & safety, and business management Software can now share data with pre-existing business software applications; thereby, saving time and resources while maintaining a degree of accuracy that’s difficult to achieve when data is transmitted manually.

The City of Calgary and St. Gobain are the first Intelex clients to take advantage of the OpenPass API.  The City of Calgary used our OpenPass API to import employee and location data from their pre-existing HR system into their Intelex System. They also used the OpenPass API to export employee injury data (i.e., incident number with date and time stamp) from Intelex’s Master Incidents Module into their HR program.

St. Gobain used the OpenPass API to import training courses, employee lists, and employee workgroup data from Lotus Notes into the Intelex System and Training Management Module. By using the OpenPass API St. Gobain was able to quickly populate their new Intelex System with historical data that will be a key factor in reporting accuracy and trending.

If you think that your organization could use the Intelex OpenPass API to import, export, and sync data between a pre-existing management program and your Intelex System, send an email to client.relations@intelex.com or call 416.599.6009 for more details.

In May 2008, a revision of ISO 9001, the world’s most popular standard for quality management systems (over one million certificates issued in 170 countries), was submitted for approval.

The International Organization for Standardization’s official press release (June 17, 2008) explained that “The proposed ISO 9001:2008 does not introduce additional requirements compared to the last edition in 2000 and does not change the intent of ISO 9001:2000.”

The November 2008 issue of Quality Digest magazine said ISO 9001:2008 “clarifies requirements in outsourcing, document control, and customer relations ... Many of the changes are designed to bring about better compatibility between ISO 9001 and the ISO 14001 environmental management systems standard.”

For a document detailing ISO 9001:2008 requirements visit the International Organization for Standardization’s website.

Among the many regulations overseen by the Food and Drug Administration, there is one pertaining specifically to electronic records and signatures generated by computer systems - 21 CFR Part 11.  The FDA's purpose here is to ensure that electronic records and signatures are trustworthy, reliable and compatible with the FDA's mission of safeguarding public health.  Section 11.10 of the regulation requires procedures and controls to be put in place that "ensure the authenticity, integrity, and, when appropriate, the confidentiality of electronic records".  Intelex offers a validation pack that is designed to test your system's compliance to these requirements. For more information, please contact an Intelex representative.

The Lahore Development Authority (Pakistan) has announced that they will be implementing quality control laboratories to assess the quality of road materials and construction procedures being used across their developments.  To kick off this new quality management initiative, the LDA "has issued orders to all contractors enlisted with LDA … [the contractors] have also been instructed to ensure submission of road materials to such 'Quality Control Laboratories' so that material could be screened in accordance with international standards" (Nation.com 2008).

I've blogged about the value of a quality management system before but I thought this story exemplified the point that quality control really can be applied to any industry, product, and service.

To read the complete story about LDA's quality control program visit www.Nation.com.

I recently picked up the April 2008 issue of Industry Week and read Brad Kenney's article "Whatever Happened to Quality?" In the past I've written posts about an increase in awareness regarding the importance of quality control, but what my previous posts didn't focus on and Mr. Kenney's article does, is the growing realization that quality management isn't just about manufacturing anymore.

In 2008, quality control has evolved to the point where it embraces an all-encompassing approach to process improvement. That is to say that it accounts not just for manufacturing, but also for services rendered, customer support, employee satisfaction, human resources development, senior leadership decisions,  etc.  As Kenney describes it, the evolved approach to quality goes "beyond the shop floor and into the front office."

As I see it, the new quality control is a complete quality management system. It's comprised of document control workflow, training management processes, supplier performance tracking procedures, corporate-wide quality policies, and internal & external communications tracking to name just a few components.

Check out Kenney's complete article at http://www.industryweek.com.