Unisys has received a positive report-back on the recent audit conducted by Lloyd`s Register on specific Unisys departments that are listed on its Global overseas ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System (the overseas subsidiary refers to the Quality Management System of these specific departments as the Business Management System).
Chester Montjoie, the Business Management System (BMS) auditor/representative for these departments within Unisys Africa, says the audit assures the overseas parent company that the local office conforms to their international quality documented requirements in the areas.
Unisys Africa received their local ISO 9001 Quality Management System listing in October 1994, and their ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System listing early in 2001, which was issued by Standards South Africa, the local registrar. The ISO 9001:2000 replaces the former South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) ISO 9001:1994;SABS ISO 9002:1994; and SABS ISO 9003:1994.
Says Montjoie: "The ISO procedures that we document specify the requirements for a quality management system where an organisation needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide product that meets customer and applicable regulatory requirements. It also aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for continual improvement thereof and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable regulatory requirements."
Internal audits are regularly conducted by Unisys Africa quality auditors, and surveillance audits are conducted by the Standards South Africa quality auditors bi-annually in the different departments, while Lloyd`s conducts an external audit every two years.
The audits were conducted by Rene Kop, an international ISO auditor from Lloyd`s Register Quality Assurance in the Netherlands, in the following areas of Unisys Africa that are part of the Unisys worldwide global listing:
* Infrastructure management services (IMS)
* South African client support centre (SACSC)
* Services supply chain operations (SSCO logistics)
* The local business management systems auditor/representative.
The service management desk, which is part of field operations, was also audited as part of the call centre process.
Audit problems are categorised into findings and observations, where the former is a breakdown in the system and the latter means preventive action must be taken, where a process is not being adhered to or is not working as it should. The result produced no findings at Unisys Africa, and only a couple of observations were made, says Montjoie.
"The regular internal audits we conduct make the process much easier for external auditors," he adds.
Following the audit, Kop commented: "The communication and working relationships between the departments audited shows they all work towards a common goal to benefit the customer (both external and internal)."
Kop was also complimentary about the areas of the Unisys Africa quality management system he observed as part of his audit, saying it was not over-documented and was simple to use and access.
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