Focus on

Oxford RF Sensors (ORFS) has gained ISO 9001. The high-tech start-up company develops novel, highly sensitive, non-contact sensors, based on patented technology developed at the University of Oxford, which detect and measure a variety of materials including metals, plastics and liquids.

The technology has been developed into a number of sensor applications including mechanical measurement able to operate up to 1,000°C, or track objects from DC to over 100 kHz, in the presence of 400-atmosphere operating pressure pulses, and are highly resilient to dirt, dust and oil contamination.

Applications range from measuring turbo-charger speed (300,000 rpm) on rally cars to in-flight blade tip clearance on aircraft jet engines and from particulates in lubricating oil, on line, to water in aviation jet fuel – also on line.

Why ORFS Chose ISO 9001

A key reason why ORFS chose ISO 9001 was to increase its perceived value amongst a growing list of prestigious international clients in the aircraft, oil and gas and automotive sectors.

“We are working with global companies,” says Anthony Williams, Quality Manager at ORFS. “We need to assure them we are serious about being in control of events and that we are much more than an ‘ideas’ house, that we take R&D projects right through to production readiness with a complete manufacturing pack.”

A second reason why ORFS chose ISO 9001 is that with the procedures in place, everyone in an organization is focused towards the quality goals. Better documentation or control of processes leads to consistency in performance, and less scrap and rework. Employees have more information for troubleshooting problems on their own and managers become more efficient.

“This way we all are singing from the same hymn sheet and new people are able to get up to speed with less distraction to others,” says Williams.

“As a start-up we need to take people on fast, and we need documented procedures of how we do things round here – ‘current good practice’. Being certified helps us make sure that ‘current good practice’ moves forward and that we keep the documentation up to date.”

Working With SGS United Kingdom Ltd.

SGS and ORFS began the journey to ISO 9001 with a gap fill exercise. This compared the company’s existing documentation with the requirements of the standard. Williams documented the operating procedures according to need over a period of time.

“The documentation work identified processes that could be simplified, reducing both our operational overhead and the distraction of the team from their work,” says Williams.

“SGS has always been prepared to listen to ‘why we believe we comply with the requirements of the standard’, and then decide whether they agree. They are not prescriptive, unlike some other certification bodies. Being with SGS gives us the freedom to operate in a way that suits us, while meeting the requirements of the standard.”

Benefits of ISO 9001

With ISO 9001 firmly in place, ORFS ensures that well-defined and documented procedures improve employee productivity and reduce product scrap and rejections. The result is an increase in the perceived value of ORFS and its products and enhanced customer satisfaction levels.

In addition to impressing its clients, ORFS must ensure that everything contributes to the operation of the business. Pure overheads have to be between zero and very small.

“We have a team of dedicated people working their socks off to develop opportunities into practical realities that will generate income and float this ship. ISO 9001 is undoubtedly working for us – improving our day-to-day operations, our marketing, and above all, customer confidence in our products,” says Williams.

Plans for the Future

ISO 9001 is also underpinning future certification plans.

“In terms of systems certification, we are now planning to go for AS EN 9100. This is driven by our intention to license the technology to aerospace partners in Europe and the USA. Additionally we may need to address hardware/software validation issues so DO-178B might be relevant. We will also be CE marking other products for sale across Europe.

“The openness of the relationship we have with SGS brings a further benefit in that we can discuss with them the operational challenges we are working on. They suggest ideas from their experience, and this helps us as we try to continually up our game and succeed in the market place,” says Williams.


For more information please contact:

SGS United Kingdom Ltd
SGS House
217-221 London Road
Camberley
Surrey
GU15 3EY
United Kingdom

t: +44 (0) 1276 697999
f: +44 (0) 1276 697696
Email