Harris Transmission Facility in Brazil Earns Quality Management Certification

Harris Broadcast Communications received another quality management and environmental awards with an ISO 9001 certification for its television transmitter manufacturing facility in Campinas, Brazil.

The ISO 9001 technical standard defines the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) criteria for certifying quality management systems in general, with common themes including customer focus, process-based operations, measureable performance and continuous improvement.  The Campinas facility, which opened two years ago, was certified for compliance with quality requirements in the manufacturing of broadcast transmission equipment.

The Harris Broadcast Communications transmission business now has four ISO 9001 certifications, including its facilities in Mason, Ohio; Quincy, Illinois; and Suzhou, China.  The Quincy facility also has ISO 14001: 2004 Environmental Management System and OHSAS 18001: 2007 Health and Safety registrations.  Last year, the Quincy facility also won its sixth Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award for Continuous Improvement.

The Campinas facility went through several audits conducted by Fundação Vanzolini of Sao Paolo to confirm compliance with ISO 9001: 2008, considered the single-most recognized standard for international businesses.  NSAI was responsible for the overall process and issued the certificate.

“ISO 9001 certification proves we are focused on quality management system fundamentals and consistent in our actions as we strive to measure our performance and improve our processes,” said Chris Parsons, vice president of operations and supply chain, Harris Broadcast Communications.  “It is absolutely critical to operate a well-defined and disciplined facility for labor-intensive processes such as transmission equipment manufacturing.  Few companies are able to claim such a high number of third-party quality management and environmental certifications.”

According to Felipe Luna, director, Harris Broadcast Communications in Brazil, the company’s regional objective is to meet market demands in an increasingly efficient manner while maintain the pace of growth experienced in recent years.

“Harris has won more than 50 percent of the digital TV migration market since opening our facility in Campinas, which has been made possible with decreased manufacturing costs, strong sales and support teams, and operational efficiency improvements,” said Luna, adding that factory production in Campinas is ensured for many years based on strong customer interest.