Volvo Builds a Quality Future With ISO 9002 Certification

    ROCKLEIGH, N.J., Feb. 19 Volvo Cars of North America, Inc.
has earned a place on the world stage of quality-driven organizations
following the announcement that the company and all 13 of its locations have
gained the coveted ISO 9002 certification.

    The company gained certification in what may be record time -- less than
12 months from announcement to completion.

    The certification, which includes a thorough audit of the company's
processes and procedures, included field offices, ports and distribution
centers, as well as the corporate head office in Rockleigh and the head office
of Volvo Cars of Canada Ltd. in Toronto.

    ISO 9000 is widely recognized around the world as a demonstration of an
organization's commitment to product quality, customer service and efficient
management, says Bruce Olds, Manager Organizational Development, who is
responsible for ISO 9002 as well as ISO 14000 at Volvo Cars of North America.
The certification not only helps ensure future quality, it identifies current
short-comings and permits the on-going monitoring of quality by virtually
everyone in the organization.

    "This has been like holding up a mirror to our organization. We get to see
ourselves -- our strengths and our weaknesses -- and how we measure up to
other quality-driven organizations," says Olds. "But perhaps the greatest
benefit is the opportunity it presents for the continuous improvement of
everything we do."

    Customers, suppliers, governments and others look at ISO certification as
a clear indicator of an organization's dedication to quality and consistency,
adds Olds.

    The certification was granted by the Vehicle Certification Agency under
the jurisdiction of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO),
a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from some 130 countries.
ISO (http://www.iso.ch) is a non-governmental organization based in Geneva,
Switzerland. It was established in 1947.

    According to the organization, tens of thousands of businesses are
implementing ISO 9000 which provides a framework for quality management and
quality assurance. The ISO 14000 series provides a similar framework for
environmental management.

    "The ISO 9000 family of standards represents an international consensus on
good management practices with the aim of ensuring that the organization can
time and time again deliver the product or services that meet the client's
quality requirements. These good practices have been distilled into a set of
standardized requirements for a quality management system, regardless of what
your organization does, its size, or whether it's in the private, or public
sector," says information published by the organization.