Companies implementing ISO 9001 face huge challenge in keeping their records.

On one hand they have to keep records as per regulatory and statutory requirements and also as per customer requirements.

Many times many customers demand things such as test certificate, analysis report etc. in a specific format. It becomes difficult to organizations to prepare records in separate format and and keep an additional copy as well.

ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning software are good tools to help keep records in proper database format. The benefit is that you can print the record in any format you like (subject to condition that your ERP has facility to select different formats for printing a specific record).

ERP’s are normally designed taking account as base. I mean only financial matters are given importance or preference when ERP is designed or selected. The quality records relating to production, quality control, maintenance still remain on paper requiring double work for the staff.

So when you select a ERP or design one for your industry, keep in mind the records required by your quality management system (ISO 9000) and eliminate all possible paper based records to electronic records.

There are many solutions but may of these system lack in quality assurance. Product inspection and testing records are still required to be maintained on paper but not with QASoft. This also gives benefit of instant analysis of data and taking preventive action on time.

Consider this, you manufacture one product which requires normally 13 different tests but there are 2 optional tests which are done only when required by the customer. Can your ERP handle such situation?

Consider this, you have a machine which needs periodic maintenance very 15 days, but due to lack of time or load on the machine last time you did after 20 days, will your software alert you as per planned schedule or automatically extend the schedule to 5 days?

Consider this, you have billed a customer in USD, but now he wants to pay in EURO, and you are keeping accounts in INR. Will your system require one voucher entry or more than one?

Consider this, you have issued products (raw material etc) for manufacture as per standard bill of material (BOM) but for some r other reason your manufacturing department needs extra material, will your system give valuation based on standard BOM or actually consumed products?

Again will your ERP give price based on standard price or actual batch used in the manufacture?

These are some of the factors you should consider while selecting an ERP solution for your organization.

About the author:
Manoj Jain is a Management consultant and software architect, who provided consultancy and training to 100’s of companies. He has developed ERP’s meeting requirements of ISO 9000/ ISO 9001 and published e-books, training PowerPoint (ppt) kits, document manual sets, and auditor examination software which is used by even certification bodies apart from over 1000 companies. He has authored Do It Yourself ISO 9000 ISO 9001 2008 eBook Training PowerPoint ppt Document Manuals and Exam Software

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When you buy or hire shipping containers generally you do so by size. The size you choose is generally to suit what space you have available or how many items you need to store or ship. Most people ask for a 20ft or a 40ft container as these are the most often to be had. Why is that? In fact the shipping industry was responsible for determining shipping container sizes. For what you probably don?t realise as you choose the size you want is that the usual sizes of shipping container ? either 20ft or 40ft long by 8ft wide and 8ft 6in tall ? revolutionised the cost of shipping.

For these standard sizes meant that the loading and unloading of shipping containers could be mechanised meaning that only a few pieces of equipment are needed to move the containers rather than the considerable manpower and different types of machinery that had been considered necessary to move the varying shapes of palletised goods that had up until then been the norm. It also meant that large numbers of storage containers could be organized on a single ship as they are easily arranged in large stacks.

Of course the standard 20ft and 40ft are not the only sizes of steel containers available. As such items such as cars, food, clothes etc were shipped inside the containers from all over the world at considerably reduced prices than had previously been available.

There are 20ft and 40ft high cube iso containers available which are 9ft 6in tall and are particularly of use for putting taller machinery and equipment in. Smaller sizes of shipping container are also used - such as the 8ft and 10ft long containers although these often have to be shipped as ?special cargo? rather than going on the main container decks.

But nowadays, shipping containers are not just used for shipping. They are regularly used for secure, dry storage. As such, shipping container sizes can be altered to any length from 40ft downwards. A popular size is the 30ft container for example, but people will often ask for a 16ft of 18ft if that is all the room that they have. Mind you, it is essential when working out the container for you to take into consideration that an extra 4ft will be required if the doors to the container are to be opened fully.
So how do you know what size of shipping container to choose. It is difficult to picture what volume of goods a 20ft shipping container could hold. It is useful to compare a 20ft container to a single garage and a 40ft to a double garage from a point of view of storage.

Indeed you can fit most models of car into a 20ft shipping container, although the 8ft width does make it difficult to get out, and the car has to either be pushed in the last few feet or the driver has to escape out of the window!

Often, people ask for an 8ft or 10ft container believing that it will be cost less than the 20ft. Yet because a 10ft or and 8ft is usually altered from a 20ft container, the additional work means that the 10ft or 8ft is as ? if not more ? expensive than the standard 20ft size. So, if you have space for the larger size, it is often worth buying as you get more storage space for a similar amount of money.
Next time you are choosing what size of storage container to buy or hire, think about a 20ft or a 40ft if you are on a budget, and remember that if space is an issue to allow enough room to open the 4ft container door!

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Tumbling media are materials that are used in the finishing process. They are loaded with parts to be finished into finishing machines, with or without tumbling compounds. They help in cleaning, smoothing and deburring of parts. Tumbling media can be man made or natural. Man made media include plastic media, synthetic media and ceramic media which come in preformed shapes. Natural media include walnut shell media and corn cob media. Tumbling media are used in finishing machines like tumbling barrels, vibratory machines and centrifugal machines.

Plastic media are otherwise known as tumbling stones. They come in shapes like cones, pyramids and triangles and have varying abrasive properties. They create smooth but dull finishes on surfaces and because of their light weight are suited for use on parts that might get damaged easily. They are safe on threaded parts and can be used on parts as a pre cursor to anodizing. The cone shaped plastic media act well on parts with holes and triangle shape acts well on edges and flat surfaces. Multiple shapes can be used on parts with complex designs.

Ceramic tumbling media are made of silica, minerals and abrasives mixed in different proportions and processed at high temperatures to produce hardened shapes. They are good for aggressive finishing needs and work well with hard metal parts. They suit usage with heavy loads that cannot be handled by plastics; they also come in smaller sizes and hence are suited for smaller parts. Synthetic tumbling media also come in different shapes; they weigh lesser compared to ceramic media. They are cost effective and are good to provide ultra smooth finishes. Compared to plastic media, they take more wear and tear and residue left from processing is lesser. They are ideal for use in high energy machines like centrifugal barrels.

Tumbling compounds are chemicals used to increase the effectiveness of media by ensuring that glaze is not formed on the parts during the finishing process. They act as abrasive agents and help in maintaining a nice color to the metal parts. They impart anti rust and anti corrosion properties to the parts when the right agents are added to them; they are effective cleaning agents and help in deburring by suspending debris and preventing them from getting re-deposited on the parts. The compounds are either alkaline or acidic in nature depending on the media they are used with.

The flow rate of the tumbling compounds should be matched with the volume of media being used for a good finish. Tumbling compounds are known to help in degreasing, descaling and removing grime. They help in lubrication of parts to protect them. They help in grinding, polishing and brightening of surfaces. They help to finish delicate parts by providing a cushioning effect and preventing damage to the parts. Acidic tumbling compounds enhance cutting speeds and bleaching efficiency. When used in proper combination with finishing media, tumbling compounds help to reduce cycle times substantially.

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