This third edition of  ISO 9004:2009 was published on 1 November 2009.

The standard has been updated to include information on managing for the sustained success of an organization. The standard has had substantial changes made to its structure and contents.

ISO 9004:2009 provides guidance to organizations to support the achievement of sustained success by a quality management approach. It is applicable to any organization, regardless of size, type and activity.

ISO 9004:2009 is not intended for certification, regulatory or contractual use.

What is sustained success?

The sustained success of an organization is the result of its ability to achieve and maintain its objectives in the long-term. The achievement of sustained success for any organization is a complex and demanding challenge in an ever-changing environment.

How can sustained success be achieved?

• By meeting the needs and expectations of your customers
• By the effective management of your organization
• Through awareness of your organization’s environment
• By learning and improving.

How can ISO 9004 help?

ISO 9004 will provide your organization with guidance and support to achieve sustained success by a quality management approach. It can be used by any organization, regardless of size, type and activity.

ISO 9004 promotes self-assessment as an important tool for the review of the maturity level of your organization. It covers leadership, strategy, management system, resources and processes, to identify areas of strength and weakness and opportunities for improvements and innovations.

ISO 9004 provides a wider focus on quality management than ISO 9001. It addresses the needs and expectations of all relevant interested parties. It also provides guidance for the systematic and continual improvement of your organization’s overall performance.

ISO 9004 can be used alongside ISO 9001 and other management system standards, but can also be used independently.

ISO 9004 is not intended for certification, regulatory or contractual use.

Contents of  ISO 9004:

• Foreword
• Introduction
• Scope
• Normative references
• Terms and definitions
• Managing for the sustained success of an organization
• Strategy and policy
• Resource management
• Process management
• Monitoring, measurement, analysis and review
• Improvement, innovation and learning
• Annex A (informative) Self-assessment tool
• Annex B (informative) Quality management principles
• Annex C (informative) Correspondence between ISO 9004:2009 and ISO 9001:2008
• Bibliography

You can get a copy of the standard from ISO Store or BSI Website.

Introduction

ISO/TS 16949:2009 was released on June 15, 2009 and reflects the changes in ISO 9001:2008. (Click following link to know more about the ISO 9001:2008 changes)

The revised ISO/TS 16949:2009 standard does not introduce any new or changed requirements from ISO/TS 16949:2002. The revision is based on the updates made to the ISO 9001:2008 standard.

Minor changes were made to ISO 9001 to provide clarification, greater consistency, resolution of perceived ambiguities, and improved compatibility with ISO 14001, which relates to environmental management systems.

ISO/TS 16949:2009 was developed by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF). Along with the embedded ISO 9001:2008 text, it defines the quality management system requirements for the design and development, production and, when relevant, installation and service of automotive-related products.

ISO/TS 16949:2009 is applicable to sites where customer-specified parts, for production and/or service, are manufactured.

Transition

The IATF (http://www.iatfglobaloversight.org/) provided the following transition information to Certification Bodies:

1. No New Requirements. ISO/TS 16949:2009 introduces no new or changed requirements. The incorporated ISO 9001:2008 standard is based on clarifications or amendments to ISO 9001:2000 and those intended to improve consistency with ISO 14001:2004.

2. Application. Certification Bodies and Organizations are expected to understand and apply the amendments in ISO/TS 16949:2009. Application of the clarifications related to ISO 9001:2008 requirements is effective no later than 120 days after the release of ISO/TS 16949:2009.

3. Certification Status to ISO/TS 16949:2002. The certification status to ISO/TS 16949:2002 remains in effect for the certification life. Certification to ISO/TS 2009 will be recognized with the effective date of the release of ISO/TS 16949:2009. Certification to ISO/TS 16949:2009 is not an upgrade and its term is the same as the current ISO/TS 16949:2002 certificate.

4. Certificates Issued to ISO/TS 16949:2009. IATF recognized certificates to ISO/TS 16949:2009 may be issued upon request by an organization (client) after official publication and after a regularly scheduled surveillance audit, but are not required until the next re-certification audit.

5. New Certification. All recertification audits starting the week of October 12, 2009 will be to ISO/TS 16949:2009.

Copies of ISO/TS 16949:2009 are currently available for purchase through ISO (www.iso.ch) and  AIAG (www.aiag.org).

If you have any questions, please contact:

Lynn 603-33453411 or email us at peplow@tm.net.my

Satellite images of polar ice sheets taken in July 2006 and July 2007 showing the retreating ice during the summer. Photograph: Public Domain

Graphic images that reveal the devastating impact of global warming in the Arctic have been released by the US military. The photographs, taken by spy satellites over the past decade, confirm that in recent years vast areas in high latitudes have lost their ice cover in summer months.

The pictures, kept secret by Washington during the presidency of George W Bush, were declassified by the White House last week. President Barack Obama is currently trying to galvanise Congress and the American public to take action to halt catastrophic climate change caused by rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

One particularly striking set of images – selected from the 1,000 photographs released – includes views of the Alaskan port of Barrow. One, taken in July 2006, shows sea ice still nestling close to the shore. A second image shows that by the following July the coastal waters were entirely ice-free.

The photographs demonstrate starkly how global warming is changing the Arctic. More than a million square kilometres of sea ice – a record loss – were missing in the summer of 2007 compared with the previous year.

Nor has this loss shown any sign of recovery. Ice cover for 2008 was almost as bad as for 2007, and this year levels look equally sparse.

“These are one-metre resolution images, which give you a big picture of the summertime Arctic,” said Thorsten Markus of Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Centre. “This is the main reason why we are so thrilled about it. One-metre resolution is the dimension that’s been missing.”

Disappearing summer sea ice poses considerable dangers, scientists have warned. Ice shelves are used by animals such as polar bears as platforms for hunting seals and other sea creatures. Without them, they could starve. In addition, ice reflects solar radiation. Without that process, the Arctic sea could warm up even more. The phenomenon threatens to set off runaway heating of the planet, say climatologists.

The latest revelations have triggered warnings from scientists that they no longer have the funds to keep a comprehensive track of climate change. Last week the head of the US’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Professor Jane Lubchenco, warned that the gathering of satellite data – crucial to predicting future climate changes – was now at “great risk” because America’s ageing satellite fleet was not being replaced.

“Our primary focus is maintaining the continuity of climate observations, and those are at great risk right now because we don’t have the resources to have satellites at the ready and taking the kinds of information that we need,” said Lubchenco, who was appointed by Obama. “We are playing catch-up.”

Even before her warning, scientists were saying that America, the world’s scientific superpower, was virtually blinding itself to climate change by cutting funds to the environmental satellite programmes run by the Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Nasa. A report by the National Academy of Sciences this year warned that the environmental satellite network was at risk of collapse.

In February, a Nasa satellite carrying instruments to produce the first map of the Earth’s carbon emissions crashed near Antarctica only three minutes after lift-off.

The satellite would have measured carbon emissions at 100,000 points around the planet every day, providing a wealth of data compared to the 100 or so fixed towers currently in operation in a land-based network.

The NOAA is under additional pressure to provide environmental data because of the re-emergence of the El Niño climate phenomenon, where warming of the tropical Pacific causes heatwaves, droughts and flooding around the world. June’s land and sea surface temperatures were the second hottest on record, and scientists are predicting this will be the warmest decade in recorded history. The last major El Niño was in 1998, the hottest year in recorded history.

The Obama administration has already taken steps to tackle America’s flagging scientific lead. The president’s economic recovery plan allotted $170m (£100m) to help close the gaps in climate modelling. The NOAA is seeking an additional $390m in its 2010 budget to upgrade environmental satellites, and help make data more available to researchers and government officials.

Original Post: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/26/climate-change-obama-administration#

In this economy, being able to close important deals and negotiate better prices and terms is more essential than ever. But if you’re worried that being a good negotiator means having to fight dirty, you’re wrong – a negotiation should be an opportunity for give and take that results in a win-win situation for the participants involved. Learning how to negotiate effectively can help you achieve these winning results while strengthening business relationships.

Start improving your negotiation skills with these dos and don’ts:

Don’t appear needy. People can smell desperation. This will weaken your position and allow opponents to get you to make too large a concession or give too deep a discount. To keep yourself from appearing desperate and vulnerable, remember:

Don’t take it personally. Getting your emotions involved will cloud your ability to make sound arguments and judgments. To keep yourself from losing your cool, think of yourself as a professional dealmaker who will not be personally affected by the outcome of the negotiation. Take your emotions out of the equation. That way when things aren’t going your way, you’ll:

Be prepared to walk away. Being able to say “no” and mean it ensures you don’t end up making a bad deal. Before going into negotiations – and before your emotions and the heat of the moment become part of the mix – set your walk-away point. Then if the terms offered do not match up to your expectations, walk away. This not only strengthens your position, it will also win you some respect. Another thing to keep in mind is:

Don’t force it. By dragging out negotiations that are going nowhere, you’re wasting time and causing a lot of frustration. By pressuring your opponents to make a concession they don’t want or can’t afford to make, you’re creating bad feelings that could lead to mistrust and a wary working relationship. Remember, it’s about give and take, and when neither party is willing to budge, then the negotiation is over. And like many things in life, it’s beneficial to:

Do your research. Good negotiators come prepared. They find out what their opponent’s needs and wants are and what competitors can offer. They anticipate objections so they can counter them with arguments or other concessions. So do your homework and:

Practice, practice, practice. Like anything else, getting good at negotiating requires practice. Develop your confidence by practicing whenever you have the chance, whether it’s at a flea market or at home with your family members. Get used to negotiating in your daily life; then when you have to in an important business situation you can comfortably and confidently:

Ask for it. Many people dislike negotiating because they feel embarrassed or scared asking for things they want. But if you don’t ask for something, you’ll rarely, if ever, get it. In fact, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you can get if you ask for it. If the answer is no, then you have a starting point for your negotiations.

Those who are good at negotiating usually enjoy it. So don’t dread or fear negotiations. See it as a fun exchange, a battle of skills, practice grounds for future negotiations, and more importantly, as a way to build up the client-vendor relationship and win terms, prices and deals that are advantageous for you and your business.

Original Post : HP Newsletter (07-2009)

On July 17, 2007, explosions and fire erupted at the Barton Solvents facility in Valley Center, Kansas, north of Wichita, US. The incident led to the evacuation of thousands of residents and resulted in projectile damage off-site, as well as extensive damage to the facility.

Following is the CSB safety video that produced after the accident investigation completed on June 26, 2008 (Click here to get the detail reports).

Based on the following issues,  CSB recommend the preventive measures and cautions when transferring & storage of chemical.

CSB also recommend to companies that prepare MSDSs to update the MSDSs to:

1. Identify and include a warning for materials that are static accumulators and that may form ignitable vapor-air mixtures in storage tank.
2. Include a statement that bonding and grounding may be insufficient to eliminate the hazard from static-accumulating flammable liquids, and provide examples of additional precautions and references to the relevant consensus guidance (e.g., NFPA 77, Recommended Practice on Static Electricity (2007), and API Recommended Practice 2003, Protection Against Ignitions Arising Out of Static, Lightning, and Stray Currents (2008)).
3. Include conductivity testing data for the materials that are static accumulators and that may form ignitable vapor-air mixtures in storage tanks.

.

29 children die in Mexico daycare center blaze (5/06/09)

At least 29 children died, including many who were asphixiated after a fire raced through a daycare center in the northwestern Mexican border state of Sonora, local police said.

MCPX

“We’re still bringing bodies out,” a spokesman for the local prosecutor’s office, Jose Larrinaga, said shortly beforehand.

Radio reports said there were many newborn babies in part of the center where the fire cause the roof to collapse.

Local media reported that 176 children had been in the ABC daycare center when the fire broke out at around 3pm (4am Malaysian time) in state capital Hermosillo.

State investigators rushed to the scene, following firefighters, Red Cross workers and police, according to the police statement.

Local press said that city residents also helped out in the face of the rapidly growing disaster.

The origin of the blaze was unclear early Friday evening.

30 children with serious burns

Local media suggested it had started in a neighboring tire shop, a claim the owners rapidly denied, according to news reports.

Medics transferred five children who had been identified by their parents to Sonora State children’s hospital, a medical worker told AFP.

At least 30 children with serious burns were transferred overnight to a specialized hospital across the border in Arizona, according to El Imparcial daily.

The daycare center belonged to Mexico’s social security network, the Mexican presidency said in a statement which expressed President Felipe Calderon’s “profound pain.”

Calderon called on the national social security director, Daniel Karam Toumeh, to personally visit families and injured children at the scene, it added.

The federal government sent three air ambulances and more than a dozen specialized doctors to the scene, the statement said.

State Governor Eduardo Bours was in Arizona when the fire broke out and traveled to Hermosillo in the evening.

(Source : Malaysiakini)

.

Dozens dead in China bus fire (5/06/09)

At least 25 people have been killed after a bus caught fire in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu.

According to state news agency Xinhua, the bus caught fire in rush hour traffic at 8am (00:00 GMT) on Friday.

Local authorities said that 76 people were injured in the blaze, 27 of them seriously.

State broadcaster CCTV cited witnesses as saying the sealed, air-conditioned bus caught fire without an explosion, and then burned rapidly.

Like many vehicles in Chengdu, the bus ran on natural gas rather than gasoline.

Officials said more than 10 passengers managed to escape the burning vehicle.

Pictures & videos posted online and shown on state television showed thick black smoke and flames pouring from the bus on the side of a busy highway. One badly burned woman was shown lying on the road with a man standing nearby, his clothes burned off.

One badly burned woman was seen lying on the road with a man, his clothes burnt off, standing near her.

A report on a website run by the Sichuan provincial government said the cause of the blaze was still being investigated.

(Source : Al Jazeera Net & MSNBC)

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on 5 June in more than 100 countries. The theme for WED 2009 is ‘Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change’.

WED agenda is to:

1. Give a human face to environmental issues;
2. Empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development;
3. Promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues;
4. Advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

On this day, individuals, non-governmental organizations, community and youth groups, business, industry and the media organize activities to renew their commitments to protect and develop the environment. They organize activities such as clean-up campaigns, tree planting, colourful street rallies, green concerts, essay and photo competitions in schools, and recycling efforts.

Our planet have breed us, feed us, protect us and done so much for us! Today our planet need us to protect it, have you ever think what you can do in return?

Too often we are presented with environmental problems without being given the tools to act. WED is about taking action to be a part of the solution. And the Daily do something Tips are a great start!

Combating climate change and preserving ecosystems services that underpin our economies is an issue for everyone. Every individual’s efforts, no matter how small, can contribute to the sustainable development of our economies and communities around the world.

So, start action now!

==============================================

Members of Landcare Australia hold up inflatable globes of the earth as part of World Environment Day celebrations in Sydney, Australia, 05 June 2009. Landcare Australia has set up a register calling on Australians to sign up to help their local environment.

But one thing for sure, french fries with high oil content and calorie is definitely not good for health.

French Fries are remained in good condition without mold / fungus growing for 8 weeks!

The key focuses of the ISO 9001:2008 amendment were to enhance the clarity of ISO 9001:2000 and its compatibility with ISO 14001:2004. ISO 9001:2008 does not introduce additional requirements nor does it change the intent of the ISO 9001:2000 standard.

Certification to ISO 9001:2008 is not an “upgrade”, and the organization that certified to ISO 9001:2000 should be afforded the same status as those who have already received a new certificate to ISO 9001:2008

No new requirements were introduced in this edition but, in order to benefit from the clarifications of ISO 9001:2008, current ISO 9001:2000 user will need to take into consideration whether the clarifications introduced have an impact on the current interpretation of ISO 9001:2000, as changes may be necessary to the current QMS. Here is an implementation guideline published in ISO Management System Magazine (advice-for-users-on-iso90012008).

Following is a general guideline of the review & implementation:

A wide diffusion of this implementation guidance is recommended, in particular the comparison table between ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 9001:2000, given in Annex B to ISO 9001:2008 that I have enclosed for reference (click here to download the file).

In general, some clauses of the revised ISO 9001:2008 have been tightened whilst others have been softened. Many of the changes are limited to amended phrases or even wording (e.g. “devices” being replaced by “equipment”), in other cases paragraphs were re-ordered but with no effect onto existing management systems.

So, what are the new requirements of the new standard? Here are the summary list:

1. Statutory requirements are having the same scale as any customer or regulatory requirements. It’s also clarified that these requirements are restricted to those applicable to the product.
2. The statutory requirements had been referred in connection with purchased products and product realization. Means supplier also have to compliance with the legal requirements. (Note explain statutory requirements can be a legal requirement)
3. Clearer explanation on the “out-sourced” processes. Out-sourced process is part of purchasing processes.
4. A purchased process is just like any other product that the organization purchased. If it’s affecting the product it must be under the quality system.
5. You may include two quality processes in one document and split one process to two documents.
6. Clarify that external documentation are the ones needed for the quality management system.
7. The management representative must be a member of the own management team.
8. Now requires the organization to ensure that necessary competence has been achieved.
9. Information system in now officially considered as part of infrastructure.
10. Parameters such as humidity, noise and temperatures, concerning the employees’ health are considered as working environment.
11. Measuring is considered as one of the activities of product realization.
12. Clarifies that design and development review, verification, and validation have distinct purposes but may be conducted and recorded separately or in any combination as suitable for the product and the organization..
13. The product must be identifying not only on the shelves but also throughout the realization process.
14. Specify that personal data should be considered customer property.
15. Clarifies that post-delivery activities may include actions under warranty provisions, contractual obligations such as maintenance services and supplementary services such as recycling or final disposal.
16. The management is now responsible for preventive and corrective actions regarding non-conformities that were discovered during audit.
17. The organization should determine the type of the monitoring and measuring according to the processes and how will this affect the quality management system.

According to a joint announcement by the ISO and the IAF (International Accreditation Forum), the two organizations have agreed to an implementation plan for a smooth migration to ISO 9001:2008.

1. Certification to ISO 9001:2008 will only be issued after publication of ISO 9001:2008 (i.e after 15 November 2008) and after a routine surveillance audit or re-certification audit against ISO 9001:2008.
2. One year after publication of ISO 9001:2008 (i.e. after 14 November 2009), all certifications issued (new certifications and re-certifications) must be to ISO 9001:2008.
3. Two years after publication of ISO 9001:2008 (i.e. after 14 November 2010), existing ISO 9001:2000 certifications will not be valid.

The Technical Committee that develop the ISO 9001 standard, ISO/TC 176/SC 2 has also developed an introduction and support package of documents explaining what the differences are between ISO 9001:2008 and the year 2000 version, why and what they mean for users. These documents are available on the ISO Web site.

http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/management_standards/iso_9000_iso_14000/iso_9001_2008.htm

For more details please do not hesitate to contact us at 603-3345 3411 or email us at peplow@tm.net.my

(Source of information : ISO Press Statement and the ISO Web Site)