Case Study

Michigan Seat Company - Meeting ISO 9000 Standards with MYRIAD

What's the best way to manage documents in different file formats for ISO 9000 compliance?

When that question appeared on an Internet ISO 9000 forum, Tom Slaughter didn't hesitate to respond. He shot off a post recommending MYRIAD viewing software as "by far the best way to handle varied file formats."

Slaughter should know. As director of quality at Michigan Seat Company, he's responsible for helping his plant meet ISO 9000 standards for document control. And a significant part of that mission is ensuring that accurate information is available to everyone on the plant floor at all times.

Michigan Seat Company, which received ISO 9000 certification in 1996, manufactures seats for tractors, lift trucks and other off-road vehicles. Incorporating on-line documentation for the plant floor was part of a company wide effort to do away with paper in the manufacturing process.

"Our goal was to maintain better control over records," said Slaughter, "so we wouldn't have to worry about having older documents on the factory floor." The company met that goal with a Foxpro database system incorporating MYRIAD viewing software.

Now electronic prints accompany setup sheets as they travel the assembly line, giving quality control inspectors immediate access to the latest drawings.

Such control is essential to ISO 9000 conformance. "Having documents centralized on the network makes it easier to ensure that people are getting the latest and greatest information," said Slaughter. "The drawings and the actual parts are more consistent."

And the benefits aren't limited to the factory floor. The new system also helps with quality planning at the company, according to Slaughter.

"I use MYRIAD whenever I need to include a diagram in my inspection instructions," he said. "With MYRIAD, I can pull prints up at my desktop, indicate what area we need to look at, highlight that part, copy it, and put it into the instruction-all without leaving my desk."

By simplifying document retrieval, ensuring accuracy and providing universal access to up-to-date information throughout the plant, the new system helps the company maintain its ISO 9000 conformance, said Slaughter.

"It all comes down to making sure people are getting the information they need."