Coastal Automotive creates products that ensure safety and ultimately save lives, which means we need systems and regulations in place to ensure we run efficiently and meet the high standards our customers have come to expect. There is no better confirmation of our systems than our recent IATF 16949 surveillance audit results from November showing zero non-conformance violations at our facilities.
In February 2018, we went through a formal audit which reviewed our operation process, preventive action plans and contingency plans. After successfully passing the audit we were awarded a three-year IATF 16949 certification, the most widely used international standard for quality management in the automotive industry.
As part of the certification, our company will undergo a yearly surveillance audit to ensure we maintain our standards over the three-year term, and our November audit results reaffirmed our commitment to detail and quality.
“We are passionate about continued improvement, defect prevention and reduction of variation and waste,” said Jim Zimmerman, senior quality engineer. “Our auditor was encouraged by our path and the continued improvements in our quality systems.”
Looking ahead, we will continue to monitor our systems and operations now in place to ensure we maintain the level of excellence our customers know us for.
Self-monitoring includes internal audits to identify potential weakness, implementing action plans and systems to improve those areas, and ensuring our employees use those systems every day.
“The auditor may choose specific areas during these surveillance audits to test, but for us, our internal audits look at all areas of our operation,” Zimmerman said. “This is an ongoing process for Coastal Automotive because we have the highest standards across the board.”
