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Sierra Monitor's quality system has been ISO 9001 registered since 1995 and we are now ISO 9001 registered. ISO-9000:2000 is a set of international standards for both quality management and quality assurance that has been adopted by over 90 countries worldwide.

SMC Quality Policy
Your Highest Expectation Is Ours

It is our policy to:

• provide products that fulfill customer and regulatory needs.
• seek continual improvement.
• ensure that the continual improvement actions enhance customer satisfaction.
• manage and improve interaction between internal teams with the aim of achieving our goals more effectively and efficiently.

Our Quality Objectives

• SMC captures customer inputs.  The inputs will be at levels acceptable to the Management Review Board.
• Process Performance and Product Conformity will be at levels acceptable to the Management Review Board.
• Audits will be completed in a manner that is appropriate for the activities taking place.  Audit action items are addressed in a time horizon appropriate to the importance of the items.
• Each organizational group strives for continual improvement, as evidenced by the appropriate corrective action process for that group.
• To facilitate open communication regarding changes that could affect the SMC QMS, addressing issues when appropriate.
• To facilitate open communication regarding the assessment of our QMS's continued suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness, with special consideration given to appropriateness of our Quality Policy and Quality Objectives.

The 2000 version of the ISO 9000 standard is based on eight quality management principles the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) developed for organizations' senior management to use as a framework for improving performance. The 1994 revisions of the standard also reflected this theme. ISO placed a strong emphasis on defining the 2000 revision of the standard to ensure the previous foundations of the standard weren't lost, but rather clarified and strengthened.

The eight principles are:

• Principle 1 – Customer focus
• Principle 2 – Leadership - Management Committment
• Principle 3 – Involvement of people
• Principle 4 – Process approach
• Principle 5 – System approach to management
• Principle 6 – Continual improvement
• Principle 7 – Factual approach to decision making
• Principle 8 – Mutually beneficial supplier relationships

Another important change with the 2000 revision is the movement away from an elemental-based approach to one that is simpler and based on a process-management approach. There are five new auditable clauses in the 2000 revision of the standard.

1. Quality management system
2. Management responsibility
3. Resource management
4. Product realization
5. Measurement, analysis and improvement

This new structure will compel companies to step back and examine their processes as they affect product/service quality. The intent of the newest revision is to improve organizations' operational efficiency by defining and developing sound business practices for them to follow. An outcome of these efforts may be the creation of new business and the retention of existing customers.