Article summary
Aggelogiannopoulos, D., Drosinos, H. & Athanasopoulos, P. (2007). Implementation of a quality management system (QMS) according to the ISO 9000 family in a Greek small-sized winery: A case study. Food Control, 18, 1077–1085.
The article is a case study on the implementation of a QMS (Quality Management System) for a small winery in Paros. The QMS is in accordance with the ISO 9001:2000 International Standard. The article begins by giving an overview of what ISO 9000 standard entails. According to the article, it consists of a series of standards. The standard developed to cover food safety is ISO 9001:2000. This standard ensures safety in food production and supply. In addition, this standard ensures a wholesome adoption of quality systems. The winery in the case study consists of twelve employees.
None of the employees has had previous experience in designing quality systems. It is for this reason that the management decided to hire an expert on quality standards. The results of the case study indicated that management needed to apply for a QMS that complies with the ISO 9001:2000 requirements. For this reason, several aspects of the company had to be tweaked. These include the responsibilities of management, resource handling, and purchasing procedures. In addition, the distribution methods and customer relations are also instrumental in the process. The article also discusses the problems encountered in the implementation phase. Financial implications and the benefits of the QMS are also addressed by the article.
Key Learning Points
A lot can be learned from the case study detailed in the article. Most of this has to do with Quality Management Systems and the ISO 9000 related standards. According to the article, the purpose of the ISO-International Organization for Standardization is to develop international quality systems to be used for external quality purposes. These standards are for quality assurance and quality management. With such standards, organizations have guidelines on how to design quality systems. One of such is the ISO 9001:2000. This standard is meant for all types of organizations irrespective of their lines of business (Aggelogiannopoulos, Drosinos & Athanasopoulos, 2007). Whether it is production or service provision, this standard has universal terminologies that can be used by all organizations.
ISO 9001:2000 also covers food quality and safety assurance. The section of QMS that covers the winery’s line of work is known as TQM (Total Quality Management). Using ISO standards, a food processing and packaging company can be able to improve its product quality towards world-class requirements. In turn, this enables such a company to compete in global markets. Other quality systems that deal with food and drinks include the HACCP and the ISO 14000 series (Early, 1995).
This case study covers a small-sized winery in Pinaros, an Island in Greek. Therefore, the lessons and methods learned here can be applied to other small food and drink production companies. The article forwards several key learning points concerning the operations of a small-sized company. First, the management structure of a company is important to QMS. This is because this unit ensures that the standards of the QMS are maintained. The top management also plays an important role when applying for quality certification.
Relevant Statements
Several statements are relevant to the subject matter of this article. For example, the safety, “quality assurance and food hygiene is of major importance in the food sector” (Aggelogiannopoulos, Drosinos & Athanasopoulos, 2007, p. 2). Another such statement is the statement indicating how important the management’s role is in the implementation of QMS.
Critical Analysis
According to the article, the best certification for the winery is ISO 9001:2000. This is a viable argument because this standard has already been tested across the world. Implementing this standard will give the winery a comparable advantage both in Greece and in other international markets. Consumers have faith in ISO 9001:2000 certified businesses. This is because it is an independent standard, and it requires to follow up maintenance after certification.
In the course of implementing the standards, the company hired an expert to spearhead the necessary changes. This was unnecessary, given that it would take only a short time for anyone to understand what was required. Moreover, this made it seem like attaining this certification was an external issue. It would have been beneficial for the employees of the winery to involve themselves fully in the process. This is because this experience is important when it comes to the maintenance of these standards.
This article is well written, and the subject matter is well articulated. The method and material used in the case study bring out good results. The author professionally handles the discussion part of the case study. In this part, all other related information is well covered. This includes challenges and benefits associated with QMS implementation.
Practical Implications
Attaining ISO 9001:2000 certification is a big milestone for any organization. A lot needs to be done before an organization is certified. The organization needs to align all its operations, including human resource management and procurement procedures. Once an organization sets out to attain QMS certification, a lot of resources are required to make it happen. However, the benefits outweigh the costs.
The other noteworthy detail in the certification of a small-sized company is the required documentation. For a company to receive ISO 9001:2000 certification, several documentations are required. These include quality records, work instruction manuals, quality manuals, and quality procedure manuals. All these factors are supposed to streamline the company’s operations.
References
Aggelogiannopoulos, D., Drosinos, H. & Athanasopoulos, P. (2007). Implementation of a quality management system (QMS) according to the ISO 9000 family in a Greek small-sized winery: A case study. Food Control, 18, 1077–1085.
Early, R. (1995). Guide to quality management systems for the food industry. London: Blackie.