1999-03-03 , ESC-9955
Business News From Philips Semiconductors

Philips Semiconductors' European Regional Sales Organization (EURSO) has become the first major international electronics company to receive pan-European ISO 9002 certification. The certificate confirms quality assurance and relates to all Philips Semiconductors European sales offices. The Euro has already been installed as the official currency for European intra-company transactions and this ISO 9002 certificate will further Philips Semiconductors' commitment to the common European market. The certifier, SGS Yarsley ICS of Camberley in the UK, confirmed that the company has "integrated all its main business functions into a single Pan-European management system".

To achieve the ISO 9002 certificate Philips Semiconductors concentrated on streamlining systems that had developed across Europe. Understanding that systems can suffer from an excess of paperwork, the company reviewed and aligned both its procedures and its documents. According to Stephan Hendriks, European Quality Manager, this was more than just a data collection exercise, "When you have many sites, the problems can lie more in the interfaces than in the systems themselves. A single English-language Pan-European quality document now forms the backbone of our integrated ISO 9002 quality system."

Customer satisfaction is a key company objective and in 1998 Philips Semiconductors won Dataquest's coveted "European Vendor of the Year" award for their responsiveness and flexibility. Many of Philips Semiconductors' European factories have been certified to QS 9000 standard, a certification similar to ISO 9002, but focusing more upon manufacturing requirements. Having recently completed a major market research project into customer requirements, Philips Semiconductors continues to see quality management as an important tool for achieving customer satisfaction.

The next target for Philips Semiconductors' is EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) self assessment. EFQM was formed in 1988 by fourteen leading European businesses and encourages organisations to assess themselves against the European Model for Business Excellence. Stephan Hendriks noted that, "Leadership performance, customer satisfaction, business results, people satisfaction and impact on society are the qualities promoted by EFQM and we at Philips Semiconductors see these as the foundations for good business practise."

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Royal Philips Electronics, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the eighth largest semiconductor supplier in the world (according to Dataquest's preliminary 1998 ranking by sales). Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video and mobile technology position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by regional application labs.