6 Manufacturing Certifications to Get with the Help of VKS

Manufacturing certifications are incredibly useful tools for your modern business. Each one provides powerful opportunities as well as compelling customer appeal. They help improve quality, increase reliability, preserve the environment, and protect your employees.

More than anything, manufacturing certifications provide a promise that your company is striving to meet the right customer requirements and legal standards. Certifications are a seal of proficiency.

But highly targeted certifications need to be sustained within a system designed for them. You need a purpose-built application that strengthens your process while documenting compliance.

VKS helps you get the certifications you need.

Our software is more than a visual work instruction solution, it’s a performance monitoring application. From simple procedures to complex operations, VKS helps companies maintain high standards of quality in every process.

Manufacturing Certifications Supported With VKS

Manufacturing certifications are highly coveted within the industry as they help companies improve performance, gain new and repeat customers, and enhance their competitive edge. VKS is designed to support companies in these efforts to obtain and sustain worthwhile manufacturing certifications.

The following are a few examples of manufacturing certifications our work instruction software can help you obtain:

1. ISO 9001
2. ISO 14001
3. CAN/BNQ 9700-800
4. CTPAT
5. ITAR
6. AS9100

Let’s take a brief look at each of these 6 manufacturing certifications. We’ll explore what they are, what they do, and how VKS helps you get them.

1. ISO 9001 - Quality Management Systems

The international manufacturing certification ISO 9001 is synonymous with trust and quality. It is about continually improving your processes to ensure you meet customer desires and regulatory standards.

Companies use this certification to guarantee reliable service and quality products.

One sure-fire way to boost quality is with a work instruction software. The seemingly endless benefits of standardization within the framework of Industry 4.0 technology cannot be understated; especially in terms of quality control.

With VKS, acheive ISO 9001 standards with the following quality control features:

• Quality Control Forms: Set up data forms that pop up at key points during production.
• Real-Time Data: Capture real-time data during every moment of a process.
• Automatic Alerts: Set up automatic alerts if deviation approaches or exceeds specifications.
• ToolConnect IoT: Connect with tools and equipment to record and trace key assembly data while keeping a watchful eye on process behavior and product quality.

With a well-documented and standardized process, every employee has the knowledge to get the job done right. And with advanced traceability, monitoring product quality and procedural compliance is easier than ever.

This helps companies achieve high quality, enact continuous improvement, and meet the requirements of ISO 9001.

2. ISO 14001 - Environmental Management Systems

Enhancing environmental performance is at the core of this certification. In the current business environment, companies must strive towards a cost-effective and sustainable future.

Governments around the world are doing two things to make this happen:

1. Providing subsidies for green processes and technology.
2. Enforcing legislation to abide by environmentally friendly standards.

The ISO 14001 manufacturing certification confirms that you’re respecting the law in your area and that your company is committed to green standards. This is not only good for the environment but is a smart choice for your customers.

Consumers can feel proud to choose a company that has taken the initiatives towards a greener and more sustainable industry. It is a distinguisher that sets you apart and gives you a competitive advantage.

One method of pursuing a more ecologically friendly business model is to go paperless with digital work instructions and data capturing. Unlike paper records, digital instructions and performance data do not deteriorate over time. In this way, a digital mode of operations is free of material waste.

This is especially true when processes need to be updated. With paper, old printed processes need to go in the recycling bin to make way for new printed processes. Over time, this cycle repeats itself, again and again, creating more waste.

With VKS, updating procedures and instructions is fast and simple with our mass update feature. If you have a new procedure, quality practice, or safety step, you can update multiple procedures at once.

It’s easy, reliable, and best of all, doesn't produce any waste.

With well documented processes and advanced data tracking, our software helps you avoid waste and demonstrate adherence to local and national bylaws.

Moreover, VKS helps eliminate defects by maximizing quality. Less waste is not only good for your business but is also good for the planet.

3. CAN/BNQ 9700-800 - Healthy Enterprise

The physical and psychological health of your employees is of high importance in this modern industry. Organizations that promote health and wellness benefit from a reduction in downtime or absenteeism. This is a great incentive as lost time costs companies billions of dollars each year.

That’s why companies are adopting a preventative and proactive approach to the health and wellness of their employees. CAN/BNQ 9700-800 is all about taking the best practices and incorporating them into the everyday tasks and accomplishments of employees.

With VKS, drive better behavior from the shop floor, reduce accidents, and enhance risk analysis within your procedures and digital instructions. Add reminders for employees to stretch in between jobs. Integrate safety alerts for the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) needed for dangerous processes.

Implement Health and Safety specs in every work instruction and engage each employee in the wellness initiatives of your operations.

By taking care of your workers, you will keep your valuable employees and attract new talent.

4. CTPAT - Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism

Since the turn of the millennium, cargo security has become a major concern for the whole world. This is especially true for the manufacturing industry. As a supply chain security program initiated by the U.S., CTPAT is an incredibly valuable asset for importers and exporters.

When a company joins CTPAT, they are agreeing to work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to prove that they have implemented strong security measures across their entire supply chain. With this agreement in place, members of CTPAT are considered low risk. This means they are far less likely to have their shipments examined when entering the United States.

Inspections take time and can negatively affect your customers and your bottom line. CTPAT enables you to send and receive shipments in and out of the U.S. with less chance of encountering roadblocks.

Our work instruction software helps you prove that you have a secure system in place. From employee actions to materials used, every stage of your procedure is recorded, confirmed, and validated. This provides you with complete traceability should anyone need added information.

Additionally, work instruction software provides a great space for you to administer training on all CTPAT requirements and regulations. Leverage the visual and interactive software to keep your employees up to date.

With advanced traceability and accurate training, your shipments and processes are more reliable, faster, and incredibly secure.

5. ITAR - International Traffic in Arms Regulations

The ITAR manufacturing certification is concerned with keeping U.S. secrets safe. ITAR regulates the trade of articles and services related to defense and space programs. Not only does it cover various weapons technologies but also any documentation, photos, plans, or technical data connected to the military.

Only U.S. citizens are allowed to work with products that are classified ITAR. But countries like the U.K., Australia, and Canada have received special dispensation and can work as U.S. citizens under ITAR contracts.

But the data needs to be kept safe. Access to this information needs to be limited to the right people.

With VKS’s manufacturing certification and training feature, you can create a specific group for ITAR certified employees. This guarantees that only ITAR certified employees work on ITAR certified products.

Tracking and updating employee certifications and access is made easy as all applicable employees are grouped together. Within the group you can view and manage each worker's qualifications, level of proficiency, and when they received access.

With effective staff identification and training procedures, valuable data and documentation are well protected. Data security is covered with VKS’s secure cloud or on-premise infrastructure. No one has access to your content except the right people identified by your company.

6. AS9100 - Quality Management Systems - Aviation, Space and Defense Organizations

Like ISO 9001, AS9100 is a quality management system. But this manufacturing certification is geared to the specific needs of the aerospace and defense industry.

Companies with this certification can perform contracts for the Department of Defense (DoD), NASA, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

This certification has equivalents in Europe (EN9100) and Asia (JISQ9100).

To please AS9100 auditors, your process has to follow their exact quality conditions and requirements. VKS provides the perfect space to prove that your processes, products, results, and specifications are all in place. Each procedure is well documented and best practices are standardized with aerospace quality in mind.

With advanced data and procedural tracking, all jobs are recorded, providing documented evidence of compliance. Our software provides you with the ability to perform the best quality methods and the strength to assure the job is done the right way, every time.

Let Us Help You Get The Manufacturing Certifications You Need

Visual Knowledge Share (VKS) is a digital work instruction software and a live performance monitoring tool. It enables companies to be competitive and relevant in Industry 4.0.

Whether you digitally document processes, provide evidence of compliance, or share traceability data with your clients, VKS is the perfect tool for quality management! Our multilingual and intuitive interface makes complex processes easy to understand and follow.

Trusted in over 30 countries, VKS is helping customers get the certifications they need to stay ahead in their market.