Multi-site, multi-country, multi-standard certification: our tips for success

Pandora's box or Hercules' labors? When, within the same company, different certification standards intersect with different production sites, different countries of operation, and different professions, it's enough to make your head spin. Quality, safety, environment, sector-specific standards... By combining the subjects to be certified and adding letters to their job title, QHSE managers—formerly QSE managers and, before that, simple quality control engineers—can quickly find themselves drowning!

However, there is a real benefit to extending the exercise from one theme to another and aiming for certification scopes that are not limited to a specific location or activity. You save both human and financial resources by pooling audits through annual sampling. , agrees Pierrick Bouchard, Key Account Sales Manager at AFNOR Certification (see box below).

Multi-site certifications: building a network of correspondents

Keen to inspire confidence across the board, many companies have taken a methodical approach... with great success! This is the case for Ugitech, a Schmolz und Bickenbach Group company specializing in the manufacture of long stainless steel and alloy products. Its wires and bars are used in the automotive, aerospace, medical, construction, and nuclear industries, among others. The six production sites located in France have various certifications in different areas: ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, EN 9100, EN 9120, ISO 13485, IATF 16949, and ISO 50001. However, a small team is sufficient to administer the entire quality policy. How? Thanks to a unified system.

He who can do more can do less, sums up Olivier Martel, QMS (Quality Management System) Operations Manager. We began by deploying a network of 28 QMS correspondents at each of our sites and in each of our departments. Each correspondent is responsible for a specific area: purchasing, production, IT systems, etc. At headquarters, the central QMS department analyzes the standards, interprets them, and distributes their requirements by area of expertise: we train each correspondent in the requirements that must be met in their sector. 

Multiple certifications: leveling up

In practical terms, correspondents only deal with requirements relating to their own scope. However, there is an upward leveling effect: from one topic to another, they are required to apply the most restrictive provisions. The automotive standard, for example, is much more demanding than others in terms of combating counterfeiting. Therefore, the automotive rules apply by default to the group's entire purchasing and production chain. And our customers in the aerospace, nuclear, and medical industries are delighted to see that we exceed the requirements of their sectors! "That's great," says Olivier Martel. "But what do we do when aspects of different standards diverge or even contradict each other?" We then pass on these specific requirements on a case-by-case basis in the production chain: at the manufacturing order level, for example, to maintain a common framework for as long as possible. , replies Olivier Martel.

Three questions for Pierrick Bouchard, Key Account Sales Manager at AFNOR Certification

Why embark on a multi-certification process?

Companies see many advantages in this approach. First, there are savings in both human and financial resources, with audits shared through annual sampling. Second, there is greater agility: it is easier to integrate a new site, and the sale of another does not destabilize the entire structure. Finally, centralized reporting facilitates the management and smooth deployment of strategic priorities.

Who is affected?

Potentially all companies with multiple locations, offices, or production units, or those certified under multiple standards. I am thinking, of course, of industry and mid-sized companies. The automotive and aerospace sectors were the first to get involved. But the service sector also has everything to gain: whether it's banks or car dealerships, the same standards must apply from one city to another. Not to mention large corporations. We have notably supported Alstom Transport: in four years, the group and its hundred locations have switched from site-by-site certification to global certification.

What are your tips for success?

This is a very strong business project that must be supported by a committed management team, but also widely shared with the teams. Without buy-in, success is impossible. It is important to avoid abrupt changes and opt for a transitional plan, while setting a course and a target year to get started!