Ahhh January… Or should I say, “blahhh” January? At any rate, the holidays are over and it’s time to move on. If you were one of the unfortunate travelers who flew the friendly skies over the holidays, you’re most likely in deep recovery from the “congested-airport-not-going-anywhere-fast” blues. And I feel sorry for you. It means you’re probably sacked out on the couch every living minute of your free time with a bowl of chips resting on your abdomen and the TV drowning out all other sounds. You’re not going anywhere.
January is one of my favorite months because it’s quiet. And because we live in North Carolina, winters are usually mild. So we have a mild and quiet period in which to contemplate how we’re going to accomplish that freshly composed to-do list. But wait, that doesn’t sound like very much fun, does it? Well, sadly, there is a long stretch ahead that looks rather unimpressive holiday-wise. These are the doldrums between New Year’s Day and the next all-American, company “paid” day off (unless you’re fortunate enough to get Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day or Good Friday, but that has never been my personal experience). So, technically speaking, with the exception of die-hard revelers who simply must celebrate everything endorsed by Hallmark, Martha Stewart, and the people who make calendars, we can fly right on through to Memorial Day or possibly even to the Fourth of July. But we’re not exactly flying are we? And thank God for that, say the couch potatoes who are recovering from the ”congested-airport-not-going-anywhere-fast” blues. They’re content with things just as they are. So what, if not utilizing diversionary tactics such as planning Super Bowl parties (or more sedate tactics such as watching it from a prone position) are we doing during this long stretch of mild, quiet time in North Carolina?
Mike and I are preparing the shop for ISO 9001:2008 and AS 9100 certification. We took the plunge and signed up with a registrar and now we’re on the hook for some serious goal setting, manual writing and paper trail reorganization. Whoa there lest you think we have lost our minds. Let me just say this – Advanced Machine is a small shop, and I do mean with the emphasis on “small”. In fact, the definition of small business is an organization with 500 employees or less and that definition is too big for us. We are definitely on the less side of small according to the SBA. But, and this is key, we think Big. We are David staring into the eyes of Goliath. We are the little engine that could. We are…. well, you get the idea. We think that there is no time like the present, despite all woeful economic forecasts and the spirit dampening cacophony of Wall Street analysts, to be successful. Are we crazy? I don’t think so. It‘s a matter of perception. Times might be tough but we all know that when times get tough, the tough roll up their shirt sleeves and dig in. Hence, ISO 9001 here we come.
ISO certification has been on our agenda for several years. We’ve been back and forth on the pros and cons of whether Advanced Machine, given it’s noble but diminutive stature, would benefit from the time and expense of certification. We run a well organized shop. Things are under control. Problems are small. Why add more tasks to an already lengthy to-do list? Why disrupt the workplace and employees with training? Why spend the money? Why, why, why? “Why”. If you type it enough, it’s a strange little word, but it’s powerful. Powerful enough to keep a person from getting a good night’s sleep at times.
Anyway, I’ll tell you why. Simply put it’s time. It has little to do with size, stature, customer base, maximum equipment utilization, operations and the bottom line of our profit and loss statement. We wrote it into our business plan several years ago and it now fits with the progression of where we want to take the company. It’s the next step. I honestly thought a business plan was sort of a hokey, albeit highly advised, procedure but we wrote it one day when we felt the need to get things down on paper. Who knew it worked? I’m not going to get into the ISO debate here. I know there are plenty of naysayers and scoffers out there. Everyone has a story to tell about whether it worked for them or not and soon Mike and I will have our own story. It comes down to running your business as best as you can. You make decisions based upon criteria that has formulated into reality at a particular time. Time plays its own hand and to that end, you had best be ready to play back. We’re playing the ISO game this year and – I never really thought I’d be saying this – fortunately we are a small company. It‘s easier to get your ducks in a row when there aren’t a lot of ducks, if you get my drift.
To all of you reading this, I hope January is not too harsh, boring, bland, cold, or insufferably quiet and mild. And to the couch potatoes out there…get over it and start planning your next holiday travel. Train, anyone?