Molder goes digital with certification package

If you are contemplating ISO or QS 9000 certification but are overwhelmed by the prospect of assembling the documents, flow charts, and procedures required, take note. About a year ago, Woodland Plastics (Addison, IL) was completing its audit and developed a Windows-based program to help the company create and manage the documents required to get certified. At one point, says Stephen Sinderson, vice president of Woodland Multimedia, the auditor turned to him and said, "You guys should sell this thing." So they did.

Woodland Multimedia is the company spun off from Woodland Plastics, and it is devoted to getting the word out on Quick Solution 9000, the computerized ISO/QS 9000 manual, designed specifically for injection molders. With it, you can use built-in procedures and flow charts developed by Woodland, or you can incorporate your own. Documents can be imported into Quick Solution 9000 or linked via "hot words" in the program. For instance, says Sinderson, if a procedure calls for entering scrap data in an Excel document, a link can be built to the scrap report document, taking the user to it with a simple click of the mouse.

The program also has a library of more than 300 "objects" you can use to build Level 2 flow chart procedures, procedural definitions, reference listings, and other navigational tools. The objects in the library include icons representing injection molding machines, pallets of resin, drill presses, deflashing equipment, and other molding-specific equipment. The library also includes generic objects, such as a file cabinet to indicate that a form or report should be filed as part of a procedure.

For even higher-tech documentation, Sinderson says video or still images can be incorporated into documents and procedures to illustrate most any aspect of the molding operation, whether it is proper installation of a particular mold, or examples of parts that meet spec. Also the program allows a molder to produce and maintain one copy of procedures documents.

Sinderson says one advantage of the program is that it gives molders a starting point. "The content of this program will jump start someone about six months," he says. "It provides existing documents and procedures from a molder who's been certified."

For ISO certification only, the Windows-based system ranges in price from $5000 for smaller shops (25 employees or less) to $15,000 for larger facilities (350-plus employees). Add about 20 percent to the price for QS versions. Also, for an additional $500, Woodland offers an internal audit module that asks many of the questions an auditor would. It offers suggestions for corrective action and generates a report card to help molders gauge their success.

By early 1999, Sinderson says, Woodland Multimedia will integrate version three QS 9000 requirements into the program. A Spanish language version is also in the works. Call Woodland or go to its website to get a demo.