We’re pleased to announce that Acacia Communications has achieved its ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems recertification to the 2015 edition of the standard. The new certificate was issued on February 7, 2018. For more on what this means for Acacia and its customers, we have a quick Q&A with Michael Marlowe, Acacia Product Quality Manager, who was integral to the process:
Q: What is an ISO 9001:2015 certification?
An ISO 9001:2015 certification is an affirmation by an independent certifying organization that Acacia has established the appropriate business processes that comprise an effective Quality Management System (QMS). Developed by the International Organization for Standardization, ISO 9001 is a globally-recognized standard that defines what should be included in a QMS to ensure we are capable of delivering a high level of customer satisfaction. It is based on seven quality management principles:
- Customer focus
- Leadership commitment to quality objectives
- Employee engagement in the quality goals set by leadership
- Process-driven approach to achieve quality objectives
- Continuous improvement
- Evidence-based decision making
- Customer and partner relationship management
The ISO 9001:2015 is an upgraded version of the ISO 9001:2008 edition, which Acacia certified to in March of 2015.
Q: What does the certification process entail?
Achieving ISO 9001:2015 certification is no small task that requires an assessment across Acacia to determine whether effective business processes have been implemented. Certification involves a comprehensive audit of the company’s QMS, from product inception to customer feedback. Built on a sound foundation of processes that allowed us to achieve ISO 9001:2008 certification in 2015, we were not starting from scratch. In addition, because of the focus on quality as evidenced by our 9001:2008 certification, we were able to make the necessary adjustments to our processes to pass the ISO 9001:2015 audit. More importantly, we added two office locations to our certificate, the Limerick, Ireland office and the Holmdel, New Jersey office.
Q: Why is it important for Acacia to have this certification?
While our QMS is based on the continuous improvement model of Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) where we are always seeking to improve our performance, it is necessary to get an unbiased opinion of how we are doing, which is what an external audit from a certifying organization provides us. At Acacia, delivering quality customer service is at the root of what we do, and it is important to us that we never fall short of that goal. Going through this audit process helps us focus on the areas we need to improve, to ensure we deliver on all aspects of our customers’ expectations. The ISO certification is a validation that we are properly tracking towards this goal while we strive to improve against our past performance.
Q: What does this mean for Acacia and its customers?
All of Acacia’s customers have similar certifications to ISO 9001 and expect nothing less from us. There is a presumption by our customers that we will achieve and maintain ISO 9001 certification as a foundation to our commitment to quality, but this is just one indicator. Our customers are looking for flawless execution of all elements of our business. This is a promise Acacia Communications is steadfast in delivering on and we work daily to achieve it. Acacia’s pledge to continual improvement is at the core of our commitment to quality.
