TEI Rock Drills has been granted an ISO 9001:2008 certification to “design, manufacture and assemble rock drills, drilling attachments and limited access rigs.”
The process of acquiring ISO certification is a long one, with many reviews and inspections. For TEI, it took almost two years and was spearheaded by TEI production manager, Donna Rousse. Rousse held monthly meetings with all department heads to make certain that things were on track. “Although these processes and meetings were at times difficult, the benefit to TEI in the end was invaluable,” Rousse says.
One of the main reasons for TEI obtaining the certification is the ability it creates to work directly with other manufacturers. TEI supplies drilling rigs and components to original equipment manufacturers (OEM), the U.S. military, and partners with contractors for special projects. The ISO certification means that all of the parties involved use the same documentation method enabling the most efficient integration of all the pieces. TEI can email a print to another manufacturer who can incorporate that print to make the initial drawings of a new drill rig. The OEM has the comfort of knowing all of TEI’s processes are documented similar to their own processes.
ISO is the International Organization for Standardization, a voluntary group headquartered in Geneva. This group develops international standards used by 164 member countries to facilitate world trade by providing common standards between member nations. The organization serves to foster a quality management system that will consistently provide products that meet customer and regulatory requirements.
To learn more about TEI Rock Drills, go to www.teirockdrills.com.