Quality to the Power of 2

When INTORQ was acquired by us, both companies already had an integrated QM system according to ISO 14001 and an environmental management system according to ISO 14001. Villingen also has a certified energy management system according to ISO 50001. But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the standardization of the management systems was delayed until the summer of 2022. “We wanted out employees to partake in the implementation and allow them to introduce their experience. But that wasn’t possible as all communication and discussions took place via teams,” Andreas Pusel explains.

New process map focuses on customers

Ultimately, three multi-day workshops proved to be the right format for the work process. The first two took place in Villingen and Aerzen, while at the third meeting a joint strategy was finally defined with representatives from both companies. All departments were represented with 10–12 participants, flanked by two employees from quality assurance and an external moderator. “In the first two workshops, we listed the processes at the respective locations and also examined the processes at the other locations,” Andreas Pusel describes the process. “What is good about our own system, what do we like about the other system and how do we want to merge them? In the joint workshop, a new process map was then developed and unanimously approved.”

While the divisions and their interaction were still the focus of the existing management systems and the processes were visualized accordingly, the jointly developed map now focuses on the processes with an emphasis on the needs and wishes of the customers. “Our focus wasn't on what the individual divisions are doing, but why we are doing it. Our primary focus lies on the needs of our customers,” Andreas concludes. “Our new management system focuses on their expectations and requirements and forms the basis for optimal service. By implementing this, our primary hope is to achieve a high level of customer satisfaction.”