The implementation of the quality management system at SC. Ciserom SA. Sebes Alba-Romania--objectives and advantages.

Achim, Moise Ioan ; Dragolea, Larisa ; Manolache, Viorica Dana 等

1. INTRODUCTION

The town of Sebes has a tradition in textiles since the 19th Century, Bumbacaris and Bauman Weaving operating here in 1834, and at the beginning of the 20th Century, a weaving factory that was part of the Romanian Weaving Factories also operated.

The beginnings of the hosiery factory are tied to the 1920s, a blooming period for Sebes, when commerce, crafts, small leather, hats and textile factories were developing. The German ethnics, who represented a strong community in that day, tried to attract German and Austrian capital for the industrial development of the town.

2. THE MARKET SEGMENT OF CISEROM COMPANY

The market segment of Ciserom company is represented by hosiery and stockings made out of cotton, synthetic fibres or a combination of the two, for adults and children, an area in which the company has a long experience. By analysing sales in the last 4 years, we can see an increase of the delivery level for the domestic market, at the expense of the external market. If in 2004, 77% of the production was represented by domestic deliveries and 23% were export deliveries, in 2009, the balance is tilted more towards domestic deliveries, with a percentage of 85.

We can say that the strength of Ciserom is the quality of the products, which results from an efficient technological process and from productive equipments, associated with quality control during the entire manufacturing process (there is an ISO 9001 certification for quality management, given by SRAC-IQ NET in 2004).

The production is segmented as follows: 50% for males, 20% for women, 30% for children, and the variety of the production has the following percentages: 97% socks and stockings and 3% panty hose.

The Ciserom products are sold on both the Romanian market and the external market as follows:

A. The Romanian market

a) hypermarket networks: Metro, Carrefour, Real, Selgros. The contracts with the hypermarket network have been run since the opening of the stores, currently delivering the merchandise as follows: in the Metro network (25 stores), in the Real network (24 stores), in the Carrefour network (20 stores), in the Selgros network (18 stores). The policy of Ciserom is focused on entering new hypermarket networks, such as: Kaufland, Cora, and Auchan. b) 25 area distributors that have a purchase and delivery agreement with a successive delivery, which is valid for one year and includes: the object of the agreement, conditions of delivery-reception, the price, the payment method, the deadline, the obligations of the parties, granted discounts, legal disputes, the duration of the contract, termination of contract and annexes; c) selling though its own network of stores (there are two in Sebes).

B. The foreign market

On the foreign market there is an old partnership with the companies: Kressing Germany, Texarom France, Ciocca Italy, Benjamin France, Arbo France, each client has its own specific range of goods; for example, for the French market we especially deliver men socks made out of superior cotton and for the Italian market, socks for children. There are recent collaborations with other clients from Portugal (Barcelcom), Italy (Megatex) and Germany (Confort Socks).

3. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AT CISEROM SEBES ALBA

Implementing the quality management system at Ciserom Sebes Alba was one of the largest and important projects developed after 1989, next to the new efficient equipments bought for the production shops and the upgrading of the technological flow.

The project, started in the spring of 2004, was finalized in September of the same year by receiving the certification of the quality management system SRAC-IQ NET, with the involvement of an external consulting team, as well as of the human resources of the company from the lowest level to top management.

If until receiving the certification, quality was perceived as strictly related to the production process, once the quality management system was implemented, the perception and understanding of this concept was broaden. Quality wasn't associated anymore only with the classification of the product, from extra to reject, but it represented the quality of the raw material chosen by selecting the suppliers, the quality of planning processes, production and equipments, the quality of projection and design, of human resources, of sales and the quality of the management work.

With a tradition of over 80 years in hosiery, Ciserom managed to maintain over the years its position of true leader on the Romanian market, being recognized by the clients mainly because of its product quality.

The period after 1989, defined by a competitive environment subjected to permanent and fast changes, was the moment of rethinking the entire business management strategy of Ciserom, directed towards increasing the activity's efficiency and effectiveness, towards creating the competitive advantage over its competitors and towards improving client satisfaction. Thus, this complex project of implementing the quality management system came as a consequence of the management policy. In the conditions of the current market, with a competitive business environment, subjected to accelerated changes, no company can afford to sit, to wait without taking the necessary measures. The difference between companies is made by the ability to answer to challenges and to successfully adapt to the new market requirements [Stremtan & Muntean 2009].

In order to maintain and improve reputation and success, any company must permanently revise the specific processes, which will determine an improvement of the activity and help create a competitive advantage over the competition. This is possible by implementing and maintaining a quality management system in accordance with the requirements of SR EN ISO 9001:2008. An efficient quality management system must be a tool in the hand of each top management, needed to fulfil its mission.

The quality management system implemented in 2004 by Ciserom proved its efficiency and effectiveness over the years, managing a very good systematisation of all internal processes, using as guide the Quality Manual, the work procedures and instructions and the internal and external audits.

The important benefits obtained over the years were the competitive advantages over the rival Romanian firms, noticed especially at auctions, but also the collaboration with new clients from the external market, whose main requirement was the certification of the company according to the ISO standard.

Another important advantage was reducing the production losses, reaching a 4% drop in the share of low quality products between 204 and 2009; a crucial element that lead to an important decrease of the production costs.

Last but not least, implementing and maintaining the quality management system lead to a better understanding of the management's decisions by the employees and to an improvement of the teamwork quality [Ghita et al. 2009].

Determining, collecting and analysing data in order to prove the adequacy and efficiency of the quality management system, and assessing where the continuous improvement of the quality management system's efficiency can be applied, can be done with the help of the Pareto Chart. An analysis model for the finishing stage of the products made by Ciserom is illustrated in the following tables:

4. CONCLUSIONS

The quality management office initiates corrective actions in order to eliminate the causes behind detected unconformities, which are not random, but have a systematic feature [Dima & Grabara 2008]. These actions are initiated as a result of internal audits and are recorded in files of unconformities and corrective/preventive actions, which were the following:

* Suggested corrective actions;

* Technical revision of the knitting machine;

* Revising the product specification in terms of raw materials and technological features (thickness) of the additional lines;

* Training the employees in the knitting and finishing shops.

Ciserom is known on the Romanian market, but also on the external market, as an organization for which quality and its maintenance at a high level is the priority of its past, current and future policy. Currently, the growing importance of quality is mainly determined by increased competition on the domestic and external markets, by the continuous increase of the customers' demands, by the increasing complexity of the production processes.

5. REFERENCES

Dima, I., C. & Grabara, J. (2008). Budgeting costs of production in a firm, Arves, 2008, ISBN 978-606-518-014- 7, Craiova.

Ghita, M.; Briciu, S.; Sas, F.; Ghita, R.; Dobra, I., B. & Tamas S. A. (2009). Corporate governance and internal audit, ISBN: 978-973-1890-21-01, Aeternitas, 2009, Alba Iulia.

Stremtan, F. & Muntean, A., Positioning services in a competitive market, European models of adaptability of enterprises and workers treated the labor market in Romania, Aeternitas Publishing House, ISBN 978 973 1890 41 8, Alba Iulia, 2009.

*** Quality Manual of SC.Ciserom SA Sebes

*** Quality Plans of SC.Ciserom SA.Sebes

*** SR EN ISO 9000:2000-Quality Management Systems. Fundamental notions and vocabulary

*** SR EN ISO 10001:2008-Quality Management. Customer satisfaction. Guidelines for codes of conduct within the organization

*** SR EN ISO 9001:2008-Quality Management Systems. Requirements

Table.1 Pareto Chart--the finishing stage

Primary data Finishing stage Jan. 2010

Controlled quantity 52986

No. crt. Defect Fr.Abs

1 Weaving errors 2183
2 Stitches 1779
3 Colour stains 1575
4 Oil stains 708
5 Holes 259
Total 6504

Tab.2. The calculus of the defects' frequency

 The calculus of the defects' frequency

 Controlled
 quantity 52986 decini
 Cum.
 Rel. Rel. Cum. Rel.
No. Abs. freq. freq. Abs.
crt. Defect Freq. batch Defects Freq. freq.

1 Weaving 21 4.12 33.56 2183 33.56
 errors 83

2 Stitches 17 3.36 27.35 3962 60.92
 79


3 Colour 15 2.97 24.22 5537 85.13
 stains 75

4 Oil stains 70 1.34 10.89 6245 96.02
 8

5 Holes 25 0.49 3.98 6504 100
 9

 Total 65 12.27 100 121991 0
 04