© Mercatech, Inc.
This
quality manual is a statement of the organization, responsibility, procedures,
and controls which have been implemented and maintained with the ISO standards
in mind.
1.0 Management Responsibility
1.1
Mercatech, Inc. is
a contract supplier providing high tech, high quality machining, design,
prototyping, and production services to a multitude of manufacturing markets.
Our goal is to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations by the use of
state-of-the-art, fully programmable equipment as well as complete CAD/CAM
systems operated by highly skilled journeymen and trained professionals backed
by the best technology available.
1.2 Quality Policy
It is our policy that our
products and services will meet and exceed all specified requirements. They will be competitively priced and
delivered on time. Products and services
will be produced in a system that assures quality is built in, not inspected
in.
.
In
pursuit of this overall policy, it is the intent of Mercatech,
Inc. to:
Achieve total quality
performance, by understanding who the customers are, what their requirements
are, and meeting these requirements without error, on time, every time.
Achieve the quality of
product and service that meets the requirements and expectations of external
and internal customers in a cost effective way.
Ensure, by third party
assessments and internal quality audits, that the appropriate quality of goods
and services are consistently achieved.
Work at all times, in the manner
defined in the Company documented quality system. Ensuring
that the required quality standards are being maintained.
1.3 Organization
The overall responsibility
for quality at Mercatech rests with its President.
The detailed control of the quality system is delegated to the Quality
Assurance Manager who is the management representative for the organization and
has full organizational freedom to identify quality assurance problems and to initiate
corrective actions which result in solutions to those problems.
Each member of the company
management is responsible for ensuring that the part of the activities which
they control is effectively operated with this quality manual and the
associated procedures manual. The quality system defines how employees
contribute to the achievement of the company’s quality policy. It shows that
the responsibility for quality rests with all employees of the company.
The organization structure
of the company defines the relationships between the members of the company and
shows how the authority to control quality is delegated.
Mercatech’s Quality Assurance Manager has the organizational freedom and authority
to initiate action to prevent the occurrence of product nonconformity.
All
employees have the organizational freedom and authority to identify and record
quality problems in their own areas of work in accordance with the documented
system.
All
employees have the organizational freedom and authority to initiate, recommend,
or provide solutions in their own areas of work through designated channels.
The
President, through the Quality Review Meeting, has the organizational freedom
and authority to verify the implementation of solutions to quality problems.
The
management, through the documented quality system, have
the organizational freedom and authority, in their own functions, to control
the further processing, delivery, or installation of nonconforming product
until the deficiency or unsatisfactory condition has been corrected.
All
conditions adverse to quality that are not resolved, are reported to company
management to resolve the condition, before they effect
product quality.
1.4 Management Review
Responsibility
for conformance and performance of the quality system, including International
Standards and the associated procedures, is assigned to the President. Internal
quality audits conducted by Quality Assurance or independent consulting
agencies are used to evaluate Mercatech, Inc.'s
quality system. The QA Manager provides periodic reports--from audits, SPC, and
other data--which verify the quality system for Mercatech,
Inc. management.
At
least once each calendar year, the President reviews the quality system's
applicability to the current methodology and International Standards. Revisions
to the manual and quality system are made as required to guarantee the quality
of the product, services and the needs of Mercatech, Inc..
As
the company activities develop, training plans will be implemented to support
this growth and development.
2.0 Quality System
Mercatech,
Inc. has defined an effective quality assurance system which meets the
requirements of the ISO9000 standard and this system is documented in this
manual and in the associated company procedures manual and work instructions,
and controlled through the quality review meeting and other management
meetings.
The
system has been implemented and shown to be effective in the control of the
quality of the company’s products and services. The procedures within the
system provide the quality plan for the company’s activities and these are
reviewed and updated as appropriate to take account of any changes in those
activities.
3.0 Contract Review
Mercatech, Inc. agrees with its customers on the details of
the products and services that are to be supplied and this is confirmed in
writing to the customer. Before accepting orders the requirements are reviewed
to confirm that the company has the capability to meet the requirements.
These activities are
performed before order, contract acceptance, or payment from a customer.
If the customer order is
verbally received, the requirements of that order are repeated to the customer
for verification before acceptance.
Special
contract requirements for inspection hold points, tests, or quality plans are reviewed,
approved, and coordinated by Quality Assurance.
All
contracts carried out by Mercatech, Inc. are governed
by the company’s conditions of sale.
4.0 Design Control
Mercatech,
Inc. has established and maintains procedures that ensure the design and
development of its products are planned, controlled, verified, and validated in
order to confirm that the planned requirements are fully met. This activity
includes the confirmation that all relevant legislative requirements are
achieved.
5.0 Document and Data Control
All
documents, records, and specifications used within the company quality system
are formally authorized and controlled within the quality assurance procedures.
All issues and amendments are confirmed in writing to ensure that there is no
danger of company personnel working with outdated information. Where applicable, outdated documents are withdrawn.
Where
data is stored on computer media, security backup copies are taken and securely
stored in accordance with documented procedures.
6.0 Purchasing
The
company places great emphasis on the selection and control of its suppliers. Mercatech, Inc. does not specify that its suppliers are
registered to ISO 9000, but its suppliers are committed to quality and have
demonstrated their ability to supply goods and services to the required quality
at the specified time.
Mercatech,
Inc. has agreed with these suppliers on specifications for the products
purchased and only takes delivery of products that meet these requirements.
Mercatech,
Inc. may evaluate its suppliers or sub-contractors using any of the following
methods: direct visit, mail survey, through documented history with the
concerned party.
7.0 Control of customer-supplied product
Material
and/or documents supplied by Mercatech, Inc.’s
customers for use in manufacturing are controlled in the same manner as all
other lot-controlled material except when special handling is required by the
customer.
8.0 Product identification and traceability
Mercatech,
Inc. makes use of labels and defined locations to maintain product
identification in storage areas and its staff has responsibility for the
correct identification of sub-assemblies when these are not labeled.
9.0 Process control
It
is Mercatech policy to ensure the quality of its
services through control of its processes. This is achieved through
operator-control of the processes and is facilitated by:
Experienced
workforce with clear job descriptions
Documented
work instructions
Operator
instructions at all stages of the process
Approved
processed and equipment
Defined
standards of workmanship
The
company also has formal documented procedures to ensure that its equipment is maintained
in a condition that ensures process capability.
10.0 Inspection and testing
On
receipt, all products are checked to confirm that the correct items have been
delivered and that they are in good condition. The degree of receiving
inspection will depend on the complexity of the item, the amount of inspection
imposed on the supplier, and the customer requirements for the contract.
During
the production and assembly processes, employees are responsible for the
inspection and control of the material being used. They have the responsibility
for inspecting the work as it progresses and for identifying any material,
parts, or products that are unsuitable for inclusion in the production process.
Prior
to packing, all products are always inspected and tested when necessary to
confirm that they are of a suitable standard for delivery to the customers.
Records of these inspections and tests are maintained by Mercatech.
11.0 Control of inspection, measuring and test
equipment
Mercatech,
Inc. places great emphasis on the accuracy of the measurements taken during the
inspection and test of products. It has a comprehensive calibration system that
covers all the measuring equipment used to demonstrate product quality. This
system provides traceability to national standards.
12.0 Inspection and test status
During
the production processes, Mercatech, Inc. relies on
the skill and experience of its staff to identify and segregate any material,
parts or products that are unsuitable. Identification of inspection status is
denoted by inspection stamps on the shop traveler.
13.0 Control of nonconforming products
At
goods receiving and during production processes, material is identified as
being unsuitable for specific operations.
Once material is identified as unsuitable, it is recorded and such
material may be reworked, used under cocession, or
disposed of.
14.0 Corrective and preventive action
The
quality system provides the means to identify where corrective action should be
taken to eliminate the causes of nonconformity to specifications. The Company places great emphasis on
corrective action as being the major benefit, for both itself and its
customers, to be gained from effective Control of Quality. Mercatech,
Inc. conducts formal reviews of all rejects, concessions, complaints, and
returns to determine the need for corrective action and to conform that the
corrective actions taken have been effective.
15.0 Handling, storage, packing, preservation, and
delivery
Mercatech,
Inc. has appropriate handling equipment and trained staff for the movement
material within the factory. It has
defined storage areas appropriate to the material being stored.
The
Company has defined appropriate packing specifications and delivery methods for
its products.
16.0 Quality records
During
the process the systems generate records of all the activities needed to
provide products and service to specification.
These records include the details of inspection and test results and are
retained by the Company in case evidence is required of the activities carried
out. Where records relating to the
Quality System are generated on computers, back-up copies of critical files are
regularly made and stored.
17.0 Internal quality audits
Mercatech,
Inc. maintains the effectiveness of its control systems by conducting formal
internal audits of all the procedures at planned intervals. These audits are carried out be the company
audit team who has been trained in internal auditing techniques. The audits are used by the management as an indication
of the effectiveness of the controls operating in the Company.
18.0 Training
Mercatech,
Inc. considers that the control of quality by its staff to be the most
effective way of controlling the quality of the products and the services it
provides. It ensures this by employing
appropriately trained staff. The Company
has a positive training program for all staff which builds on their existing
education, training and experience. The
training records of personnel are used for selection of employees for specific
work.
Mercatech,
Inc. also uses procedures documenting the minimum requirements for personnel
performing tasks such as, CNC operations, inspection, etc.
19.0 Servicing
Mercatech,
Inc. carries out the services of its products through a documented service
control procedure. The service engineers
are fully trained in the servicing of machines and are supported by technical
staff.
20.0 Statistical techniques
The
company has examined its processes to determine the need for the use of statistical
techniques and uses such techniques where appropriate.
PS: Mercatech, Inc. Book of procedures and
instructions is a document for internal use only and is not available to the
general public.
© Mercatech, Inc.