Leica ISO 9000 and TQMP?

[johnastovall]

With all it's problems of quality control we've seen, why has Leica never gotten ISO 9000 certification (I've not seen it if it has) and implemented a program of "Total Quality Management Plan?"

I was with a large mainframe company and we implemented, TQMP with quality circles for everyone from, repair depots, customer service, sales, manufacturing at every level of the company and it made a major difference in the quality of both our production and post sales support.

Looks to me like they need such a program.

[Speenth]

Originally Posted by johnastovall

With all it's problems of quality control we've seen, why has Leica never gotten ISO 9000 certification (I've not seen it if it has) and implemented a program of "Total Quality Management Plan?"
.

The biggest change ISO 9000 demands is to the corporate culture. I don't think the genetlemen of Solms are into that, as a recent Leica CEO appears to have discovered.

[luigi bertolotti]

No surprise if they aren't ISO 9000 certified... (btw... are you sure of this ?) ; certification is a very costly process for a small manufacturing company, and in recent years they haven't surely money to invest into... and they aren't in some markets in which ISO 9000 is a prerequisite to be accepted; and the corporate culture I think is such that many of them could get offended if some outsider had the task to TEACH them what is Total Quality in modern terms... damn they are the legitimate heirs of Barnack ! The man who could feel one undredth of a mm...
I do not know how much this is related to the fate of Mr. Lee... surely, being me anyway a passionate lover of the brand, I think they really have to learn something... to be skilled in machining, in assembly, in design is not sufficient, today, to deliver a digital RF camera and make it be perceived as a "top quality product".

[spylaw4]

As a trained Assessor for ISO9000 I can say that it's not quite the overall answer that many people think. It depends on how extensive and how detailed the company chooses to make it.
Where it might be beneficial is putting procedures and consequent records in place to deal with lens/camera servicing.

[farnz]

John,

I agree with Brian; it's easy to assume that ISO 9000 is a cure-all and that any company who brandishes an ISO 9000 certificate will operate an excellent quality culture at all levels throughout the company but sadly this is not so.

In the ISO 9000 world, if a company states that it will do something poorly and then does it poorly then the company is compliant with its ISO 9000 certificate. ISO 9000 only really ensures that a company will do what it says it will do and does not gauge whether that is a good/bad/indifferent idea. (Brian may choose to differ. )

I would also recommend Six Sigma because Six Sigma uses excellent analytical tools and strategies and is especially well suited to manufacturing processes.

In any event I suspect that Solms is steeped in tradition that will be difficult to change and is unlikely to immediately embrace the newest business 'tools'.

Pete.