Abstract

When John A. Solheim took over the reins of golf equipment maker Ping, he set out to find an established way to measure how the company was conducting business against an internationally accepted standard. Solheim and his management team evaluated four major quality systems before they decided to go for certification to the ISO 9001 quality management and ISO 14001 environmental management standards. One of the first challenges Ping management faced was to communicate to its diverse labor force what the company's objectives were and what the employee's roles would be. A special newsletter, training awareness sessions, and employee information binders enhanced overall training and communication. Prior to the certification audit, Ping management decided to upgrade from the ISO 9001:1994 standard to the new ISO 9001:2000 standard, adopting key requirements as they were released in draft version. During this period a registrar was selected to conduct a third party certification audit. The process review verified that the quality system Ping implemented is capable of supporting management and corporate objectives. A year later the actual certification audits took place, affirming that all required quality and environmental systems were in place and working. Specific results of implementation include the development of a new system to speed answer time on customer service calls, improved environmental performance, and reduction in mail-in turnaround time for club repairs. With Ping operations in the United States and Mexico now ISO 9000 and ISO 14001 compliant and the certification process at its sister company properties in Europe underway, the company continues to focus on improving the quality of its systems, operations, service, and products in a highly competitive world market.