Arrow Altech Distribution (AAD) was certified to ISO 9001:2008, the latest international quality management standard, earlier this year.
AAD’s history with ISO goes back a long way. The company’s operations centre, located in Jet Park in the Johannesburg area, was officially opened in January 1999, completing the merger of four individual companies (Pace Electronics, Allied Electronic Components, Fairmont Electronics and EBE), each of which was independently ISO 9002 certified. In terms of the ISO rules, the merger and relocation of the company to Jet Park resulted in the suspension of certification to allow new systems to be put in place.
An application was made for re-certification – again through Dekra, this having been the choice of the previous individual Altech Distribution companies following an ADEC survey in 1994 which indicated that the German accreditation company was the preferred certification body for the electronic components distribution industry.
On 7 December 2000, AAD was certified to ISO 9001:2000 with zero non-conformities. At that stage, not only was it one of the few South African companies certified to the new quality management standard, it was also the only company in the local distribution business to have attained the certification.
Says GM of AAD’s Business Process and Supply Chain, Mike Lee, “The ISO re-certification process is repeated every three years and we have successfully maintained our qualification, ever since first achieving it, through diligent management of our quality system. We have monthly quality meetings attended by all divisional managers and the MD. Each divisional manager is responsible for maintaining his/her key areas of responsibility and writes his/her own procedures, ensuring total commitment to the company’s quality goals. In terms of internal assessment, AAD audits one of its divisions each month, ensuring that the whole company’s quality performance is reviewed twice a year.”
Acting managing director of AAD, André du Preez, comments, “Quality is an integral part of AAD’s business and adds significant value for our customers and worldwide suppliers. Rather than just being a quality guideline, the ISO documentation is in fact the operating manual of our business. While including all the requirements of ISO, our health, safety and the environmental protocols have also been written into the document. We have entrenched the ISO system into all our business operations, including our Cape Town and Durban branches.”
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