FOCUS Magazine

Clause 4: Quality Management System The ISO 9001:2000 Standard is made up of the following 8 clauses: 1) Scope, 2) Normative Reference, 3) Terms and Definitions, 4) Quality Management System, 5) Management Responsibility, 6) Resource Management, 7) Product Realization, 8 ) Measurement, Analysis, and Improvement. Clauses 1 through 3 contain information about the Standard but [...]

Dear Readers, Does performance improvement ever end? This could happen when our day-to-day processes and activities produce the highest quality products and services with the least amount of cost. However, even if we achieved these goals, changes often occur within our industry due to new technological advances or changing customer needs. When these changes occur, [...]

Protecting People and Property Recently, Ergon, Inc., entered into a contract with the National Safety Council (NSC) to become a private training center for the 6/8-hour Defensive Driving Course (DDC-6/8).  This spring, the need for this training was communicated by our insurers to Janis Erikson of the Risk Management Department. Janis requested the Systems & [...]

Congratulations to winners of the “Picture This!” contest announced in the summer 2004 issue of Focus (pages 12 and 13).  Each of the winners received a large “soft-sider” Ergon cooler, retail value of $50. 00, courtesy of the Ergon Company Store and the Systems and Performance Improvement Department. Mr. Phillip Whitfield, a Mechanic for Ergon [...]

• Available to all employees of Ergon companies • Computer Courses Available:  1. PC Basics 2. Outlook XP 3. Word XP 4. Word XP Advanced 5. Excel XP 6. Excel XP Advanced 7. Power Point XP 8. MS Access 9. MS Project • Accessible from any computer with internet access • The cost per person [...]

Root Cause Analysis In our last Quality Tools article, we reviewed the use of the Cause and Effect or Ishikawa Diagram as a tool used to perform Root Cause Analysis. Remember (January 2005 issue, page 12) Root Cause Analysis is a method used to identify and confirm the causes of problems or adverse trends and [...]

After the “Gold Rush” of the late 1800s had dwindled, the entrepreneurs of America began. At Lion Oil Company and Lion Oil Trading & Transportation, Inc. (LOTT), “Black Gold” definitely affects our lives, so I thought it might be interesting to share how LOTT acquires the crude oil that the El Dorado, Arkansas Refinery runs. Over [...]

One of the most important and often overlooked components of a quality management program is the Corrective Action System. This system is used not only by companies that are developing their quality management system, but also by those companies with well established and mature quality management systems. A corrective action system is used as a [...]

Ergon’s Risk Management Department Did you catch the premiere of “Eyes,” the new series on CBS about a “risk management firm”? The promotional ads promised stories about a group of professionals who could “solve your worst problems.” Those of us who work in Ergon’s Risk Management Department were very interested to see how television screenwriters [...]