As the automotive industry has raised its standards and those of its suppliers, so has Ovako Steel.

Ovako Steel, which has met the ISO 9001 international standard for steel manufacturing since 1988 – one of the first companies to do so – has now received the more stringent QS 9000 quality certification, designed to meet the needs of the automotive industry more specifically.

The QS 9000 standard was developed by the “Big Three” automakers – Daimler-Chrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation. The QS 9000 standard was developed because it was thought that the ISO 9001 on which it is based allowed too much scope for individual interpretation and application and did not comply well enough with the automotive industry’s requirements.

“The automotive industry and its subcontractors are important customers to Ovako Steel,” says Rolf Neuman, the company’s quality manager.

The new certification requires close supervision to make sure that suppliers adhere to demands, including running audits twice a year.