Michigan Plant 1st to be Certified to New Quality Standard for Auto Suppliers
13 July 2000
Entela Inc. First Registrar to Issue ISO/TS 16949 CertificateGRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Clarion Technologies, Inc. has received the first ISO/TS 16949 Certificate in North America for their plant on Fairplains Avenue in Greenville, Michigan. Entela, Inc. Quality Systems Registration Division (QSRD), the first of an anticipated 31 approved registrars for the new standard and one of the world's leading QS-9000 registrars, issued the certificate. The ISO/TS 16949 Standard is a pilot program of international quality standards for automotive suppliers developed by members of the International Automotive Task Force (IATF). The standard's goal is to provide confidence for global sourcing, improve product and process quality, reduce variation and waste, create consistency in supplier / subcontractor development and providing a worldwide quality system specification. "This system is designed to help global suppliers meet tough standards without having to go through certification one country at a time," said William Vosburg, Vice President of Registration Services. The IATF has announced that the new standard will be accepted as the international equivalent of a host of other standards now in use, to eliminate multiple registrations wherever possible. According to Bill Beckman, President of Clarion Technologies, "The new certification allows Clarion to be more efficient and effective in providing products and services to all of our customers. It is our intent to pursue ISO/TS 16949 certification for our other manufacturing locations as well." Entela, Inc. QSRD is a subsidiary of Entela, Inc. and offers ISO 9000, QS-9000, TE Supplement, ISO 14001 and VDA 6.1 registration services in addition to ISO/TS 16949. Following registration, Entela QSRD conducts scheduled surveillance audits. Entela, Inc. also provides Global Conformity Assessment Services to International, North American and European Standards, Engineering Services, FMVT(R) (Failure Mode Verification Testing) and Materials, Product and Systems Testing and Failure Analysis. In addition to its Grand Rapids, MI headquarters, Entela has facilities in Livonia, MI; Littleton, MA; Toronto, Canada; Hong Kong and Taipei, Taiwan.