Here is more on Japan and a certain warmth towards ISO 9000 --- from an impeccable source:
ISO 9000 and Japan
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In an article for the ISO 9000 News (Nov./Dec. 1996), Chikafumi Morita, member or the Board of Directors of Japan Quality Assurance Organization, traced growth of ISO 9000 adoption in Japan from 1991 to 1995. By this time 1600 Japanese companies were certified. He wrote "the initial motive compelling Japanese companies to implement the standard was the need to increase their business in Europe".
Then he goes on "nevertheless, more and more companies began to obtain ISO 9000 certificates as word spread from those already certified that it actually strengthened their quality control systems. In fact, the International Standards have also been adopted by companies not participating in overseas markets". He adds "They now see ISO 9000 as a means of achieving domestic goals such as improving their quality systems and upgrading product quality".
In referring to the Japanese experience of companies opening operations overseas, he states "given the importance of quality control systems in determining the success or failure of such companies, those Japanese factories that rely on conventions and informal procedures, instead of a standardized quality control system, tend to suffer from quality problems". He adds, "it is likely that when the ISO 9000 series standards have become a part of the fundamentals of quality control here in Japan, such companies will have no trouble transferring their quality systems to overseas locations".
Under the subtitle of "Japanese-style TQC AND ISO 9000", he writes "during the rebuilding period, we developed and implemented various QC methods known as the "Seven Tools for Quality Control", the "Experimental Design Methods", and so on. These methods enjoyed spectacular success-and none more so than total Quality Control (TQC). This "Internal" approach enables each company to perform quality control in its own way, although customers often have little idea what sort of QC techniques are being used, nor how they operate. In short, QC can be defined as a tool for the benefit of the company, and not necessarily the customer".
He concludes this portion of his article by saying "in contrast, ISO 9000 permits objective assessments of a company's quality system based on International Standards. As such, ISO 9000 can be seen as a tool for the benefit of a company's customers. Yet the two systems, TQC and ISO 9000, complement each other, and a company can establish a powerful quality system by combining the two".
I have picked pieces of the article, but anyone interested in more information on this subject can contact Mr. Chikafumi Morita at Japan Quality Assurance Organization(JQA), Akasaka Twin Tower 4F, 17-22-2-chome, Akasaka, Minato-ku. Tokio 107, Japan. Tel. + 81 3 35 84 91 23. Fax + 81 3 32 24 90 02.
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