60 Seconds with NQA Auditor Fred Nelson

Fred discusses the difficulty people sometimes have in understanding corrective action and making it effective and also his love for microchips!

WHAT STANDARDS DO YOU AUDIT AGAINST?

ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 13485

WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE AUDITING MOMENT?

I think it’s the times I’ve had the opportunity to work out if cali that working the microchip area. How they make the microchips is a mystery and very intriguing to me. In texas, there is the company that produces the raw pellets to make water bottles and milk bottles via blow molding. 65% of the pellets are produced by the organizion in the US.

WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON NON-CONFORMANCE (NC) YOU ENCOUNTER?

Ah! Effective corrective action. People have a tough time understanding that. I think because like all of us we want to fix something and get moving again. When people do that they don’t do an effective job of understanding and identifying the real cause. Without doing that you can’t have an effective corrective action.

WHAT IS THE GREATEST CLIENT BENEFIT YOU’VE SEEN GAINED FROM ISO CERTIFICATION?

Improvement. I have 2 or 3 major F500 companies I work with and because they effectively use ISO standards as a means for effective organizational behavior their buisnesses do nothing but grow. And their customers love them for it.

WHAT’S YOUR TOP TIP FOR GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM?

Good leadership. Without leadership buying into the process and recognizing the value of a good management system, organizations will struggle.