Kaizen, or Kai Zen, is Japanese and stands for ‘continuous improvement’. This means: How can we improve / adjust our products and / or services so that the customer is satisfied and we stay ahead of…
Nick Appel25/07/2018
History of the FMEA The FMEA analysis is an common used Lean Six Sigma tool. In the past, the FMEA method was initially used by NASA in aerospace and for high-risk technologies. Since the 1980s, the…
Nick Appel19/07/2018
An effective and simple approach for problem solving is Toyota’s famous (lean) A3-approach. This problem solving technique is a good example of how problems can be handled in order to be eliminated efficiently. The A3 lean…
Nick Appel05/07/2018
The Eight Disciplines (8D) is a problem solving method for product and process improvement. Its purpose is to identify, correct, and eliminate recurring problems. The structured approach provides transparency, drives a team approach, and increases the…
Nick Appel29/06/2018
It doesn’t matter what industry you work in: prioritizing safety management is a crucial responsibility of any high-level manager. If protocols are not established, your business risks having staff injured on the job. As one workers…
Nick Appel22/06/2018
As an addition to our previous published blog about the SWOT analysis, I decided to give you more information on another effective tool for identifying the context of the organization of clause 4.1. Just like the…
Nick Appel13/06/2018
Why NEN-EN1090? The NEN-EN1090 is part of the European series of product standards for the production of steel and aluminium constructions. Companies that work with steel and aluminium construction are required to meet this standard through…
Nick Appel07/06/2018
Safety is more than a number of measures to prevent accidents. To build a strong safety culture, it has to come to life among all employees of the organization. Although most employers take extensive steps to…
Nick Appel01/06/2018
One of the bottlenecks that I encountered when my customers developed their quality management system to comply with ISO9001: 2015 is the concept of " internal context ''. 1 Employee engagement The engagement of employees is…
Nick Appel16/05/2018
At the center of all quality management systems is the concept of continuous improvement. This implies that you have the ability to prove that there has been some kind of improvement. It may sound straightforward, but…
Nick Appel07/05/2018
The PDCA (plan-do-check-act) cycle is a four-step approach which is used in business for the control and continual improvement of processes and products. By consistently testing out possible solutions, comparing the results and implementing those that…
Nick Appel25/04/2018
Using a Quality Management System can benefit the organization. We have summed up the benefits of a quality management system. 1. Better Products & Services A proper QMS should increase the quality of your products and…
Nick Appel14/04/2018
When you decide to become ISO certified you go through a series of steps and the certification body you choose also goes through a series of steps. Some companies hire a QA or QHSE Manager to…
Nick Appel31/03/2018
Risks are inevitable. Whether in life or in business, things happen that we can’t control. What we can control is how we respond to those events and occurrences. Managing small business risks is often as simple…
Nick Appel26/03/2018
One of the most difficult tasks that a person may need to undertake before approaching the ISO topic is to win the buy-in from top management. QHSE is considered a cost center where resources are spent to…
Nick Appel16/03/2018
In our previous post on GDPR we touched upon the impact it has on your quality management system. We also gave some examples of important topics you should take into consideration. Last week we had a…
Nick Appel08/03/2018
Many companies that have a Health & Safety system in place assume that they will never have an accident. They set KPIs for zero accidents but when you ask how they will achieve this objective, many…
Nick Appel01/03/2018
The date that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is coming into effect is approaching soon. This new law affects almost all companies, but it can have a bigger effect on certified companies. Regardless of the…
Nick Appel19/02/2018
The new ISO 45001 has replaced the OHSAS 18001. Just like most other ISO standards, the ISO 45001 adopted the High Level Structure (HLS). This is a great step forward because it now allows for consistent…
Nick Appel12/02/2018
That may sound like a contradiction in terms, particularly if you’ve ever read a management system standard document! They’re not the simplest of things to comprehend but that doesn’t mean your management system has to be…
Nick Appel07/02/2018
