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DOW CORNING’S MULTIBASE SITE IN FRANCE RECEIVES NEW INTERNATIONAL ISO/TS 16949 AUTOMOTIVE QUALITY AWARD
This is the first of Dow Corning’s sites to receive the award, which supercedes the QS 9000 accreditation it already holds, and the company is working to accomplish the same accreditation for each of its sites that serve the automotive industry. TS 16949, an international ISO standard, is the new quality standard for the auto industry that will eventually replace the QS 9000 standard. The ISO/TS 16949 quality system has been jointly developed by members of the International Automotive Task Force. This body comprises vehicle manufacturers and their respective trade associations in France, Germany, Italy, UK and USA. The specification embodies the automotive quality system requirements of the whole group and, together with customer-specific demands, it defines the quality system requirements for use in the automotive supply chain. It stands together with ISO 9001:2000 accreditation, which a company must have in order to achieve ISO/TS 16949:2002 certification. “Obtaining certification was customer driven in that we are committed to automotive business and, as one of the world’s leading elastomer suppliers to the industry, we see ourselves very much as part of its quest for quality, excellence and innovation,” says Giorgio Cabrini, Operations Manager Europe, Engineered Elastomers Industry . “We decided that upgrading to ISO/TS 16949:2002 quality standard, which aligns the existing automotive quality system requirements within the industry based on the global ISO 9001:2000 standard, was the way forward and represented a natural progression of our own internal quality-driving programs,” he adds: “ISO/TS 16949 certification gives confidence to our customers and suppliers in our ability to manage our processes to deliver solutions that precisely meet the automotive industry’s needs.” Multibase is integral to Dow Corning’s global Engineered Elastomer Industry (EEI). Through its Silastic® silicone elastomers. Multiflex® and TPSiV™ thermoplastic elastomers, Dow Corning can deliver the broadest range of globally supported automotive solutions. With property profiles that can be tailored to fulfill the complete spectrum of criteria, from soft, flexible feel to strong hard compounds with chemical, temperature and abrasion resistance, Dow Corning’s Engineered Elastomer solutions can meet the needs of the most stringent automotive applications. Giorgio Cabrini adds: “To meet certification requirements the introduction of new procedures into the Multibase production quality system did not involve us in major changes. The new standard is more customer-focused and its structure is based on process management philosophy but we were already operating to a number of very high process standards, most of which are incorporated in the new certificate.” Dow Corning (www.dowcorning.com), which develops, manufactures and markets diverse silicon-based products, currently offers more than 7000 products and services to customers worldwide. Dow Corning is a global leader in silicon-based materials. Its shares are equally owned by Dow Chemical Company and Corning Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning's sales are outside the United States. Multiflex is a trademark of Multibase S.A.
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