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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
American
Bureau of Shipping Quality Evaluations (ABS), an affiliate of
The ABS Group, one of the world's leading providers of certification
and compliance services to the marine industry, has granted ISO
9001certification to Southwest Marine Inc. (SWM). SWM is a member
of the United States Marine Repair Family of shipyards.
ISO is an internationally recognized and accepted quality system
that is formalized and understood by countries around the world.
The earning of this certification confirms SWM's dedication to
the highest standards of performance and further demonstrates
the company's commitment to providing commercial and government
customers with a high quality product and exceptional value.
"I have been informed that you and your entire team did an
outstanding job in preparing for you certification audit. Our
auditors could not say enough about Southwest Marine's level of
commitment to achieving a quality culture," said James R.
Wilson, President of ABS Quality Evaluations Inc. Wilson also
stated, "Southwest Marine has firmly established a foundation
to make quality a habit."
The ABS auditors interviewed employees from all three shifts at
all levels of the organization. During the auditing process, ABS
auditors reviewed SWM's quality policies and goals, encompassing
management systems manuals, work instructions, forms and records,
the actions of the Executive Quality Steering Group and internal
quality audits. They also looked at process control, which included
visits to various shops to verify equipment maintenance and review
employee knowledge of technical and contractual details. Statistical
technique procedures, which were found to be in complete compliance
were reviewed. Inspection and testing of received material and
purchasing, handling, storage, packaging preservation and delivery
were also evaluated. Document and data control, records of customer
feedback and training of employees throughout the company were
examined.
Monty Dickinson, SWM's president and general manager said, "Because
of the outstanding name ABS has in the industry, we chose to work
with them as the certifying agency. They have a reputation for
requiring top performance of the companies they certify. We knew
the whole process would be challenging and we would need to meet
very exacting requirements, but we were confident we could meet
and exceed expectations. Our decision to work with ABS and our
certification proves that SWM lives up to its mission of providing
a quality product to our customers." Dickinson also added,
"We took the entire ISO process very seriously and provided
substantial training to the company's internal ISO auditors. I'm
extremely proud of the entire work force, and I'm impressed with
the amount of effort, initiative and dedication they put into
this endeavor."
The ABS auditors found SWM's quality systems to be well maintained.
They stated that personal interviews with employees demonstrated
a thorough knowledge of their responsibilities, assigned tasks
and the company objectives and goals. The auditors were also impressed
with SWM's partnering approach to business with clients and acknowledged
the company's efforts to initiate appropriate preventive/corrective
action, exceeding customer requirements.
The Carlyle Group, a Washington, D.C.-based, privately held investment
firm owns USMR. In addition to the San Diego facility, USMR shipyards
are located in San Pedro and San Francisco, Calif. (San Francisco
Drydock); Ingleside, Texas; and Norfolk, Va. (NORSHIPCO).
John McGinn (619)238-1000, ext. 3800
Jackie Kreisler (619)557-4289
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