Month: December 2011
ISO 9001:2008 Surveillance Audit Results
- December 30, 2011
- PC Systems
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Waiting for us upon our arrival back from the Christmas holiday, was the audit report from our registrar’s (SAI Global) 12 month surveillance audit. The report was a well-earned Christmas gift as PC Systems successfully passed surveillance audit with only one opportunity for improvement identified.
Over the past few months, the PC Systems’ management team has been working very diligently to streamline our design and development process. We documented the design and development process with a process flow diagram to show the critical steps and interactions of the engineering, product management, quality, sourcing and customer service department throughout the process. We also development new design review forms to easily identify and record the design inputs, design outputs, design changes, validation and verification during the design and development phases. This hard work paid off as in the auditor’s report, he highlighted the improvements to the design and development process. Other areas of PC Systems’ quality management system which was highlighted in the auditor’s report were the 63 closed continuous improvements and preventive actions complete in 2011, the training matrix and the internal audit program.
As we look forward to 2012, we will continually improve the quality management system at PC Systems. Our focus will be on improving the corrective action process, improving process yields and better understanding our process capabilities. PC Systems will continue to use the ISO 9001:2008 standard to better our quality management system and not just to be certified.
Copy of the PC Systems, Inc. ISO 9001:2008 Certificate found here.
TE Connectivity (Tyco) acquires Deutsch
- December 6, 2011
- PC Systems
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Here is some connector news that has been flying under the radar, but may have significant implications with regards to harsh environment connectors in the future. TE Connectivity has acquired Deutsch from Wendel. I am not a financial analyst by any means, but I expect the uncertainty in the European markets made this an attractive acquisition. It is important to note here that the acquisition includes Ladd, which is the single source distribution partner for Deutsch.
https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2105afbc-1b4c-11e1-8b11-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1fl52pmdV
If you are unfamiliar with Deutsch, they hold a large marketshare when it comes to connection systems on heavy equipment, from construction (backhoes, dozers, graders, etc.) to more industrial (man lifts, telehandlers, truck bodies, etc.). TE Connectivity has had some success breaking into that market with their AmpSeal line, but Deutsch is still the king.
This will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
- What will happen with Amphenol and their recent introduction of the Amphenol Sine AT Series (which is a direct replacement to Deutsch DT Series)?
- Will there still only be one place to purchase Deutsch components?
- Will TE Connectivity use their leverage to increase pricing, or will they use their breadth to reduce pricing?
- Will there be consolidation and how will that affect Quality and Reliability?
All questions that you can be sure we are asking of our contacts within the industry.
By the way, has TE Connectivity gained a firm footing in anyone’s lexicon yet? It still feels awkward to say it, and every time I typed it in this post, I typed Tyco, backspace, backspace, backspace, backspace, TE Connectivity…