Oil and Gas Solutions Provider Attains ISO 9001 Certification with Intelex Quality Management

• Oil & Gas

• Quality Assurance

• System Integration
• Training

In 2011, Versabar decided to expand their ability to serve their market by pursuing ISO 9001 certification for their business. However, managing the complexities of ISO certification was proving difficult, particularly because Versabar was managing information from multiple locations. They initially started the process with a paper-based system. They required a software solution to streamline both tracking and reporting of nonconformances and corrective actions across the enterprise for both their products and their processes. They further expanded these requirements to include supplier management capabilities, which was a natural extension of the original requirements that had been identified.

Versabar is a global provider of heavy lifting solutions for the Oil and Gas industry, located in New Orleans and Texas. Founded in 1981 by University of Illinois Civil Engineering Graduate Jon Khachaturian, Versabar began with just the reusable spreader bar. Today, Versabar is registered for 56 foreign and domestic patents and known as a global leader in the development and application of heavy lifting solutions.

Versabar required a flexible solution to help them attain ISO certification, while allowing them the independence to tailor the solution to their specific needs. After some initial help from the Intelex team, the project moved from conception to implementation smoothly. Users underwent basic training with Intelex and now all members of the organization have the ability and know-how to log a nonconformance in the system. The central file repository alleviated employee difficulty with finding necessary information and users can now readily access the documents they require. The system was then rolled out to employees who would be interacting with the applications and were trained on six key user tasks: Logging In & Dashboard Navigation, Responding to Assigned Tasks, Logging QNCRs, Document Control (finding, attaching, uploading), Printing Reports, and Reporting Safety Incidents. These six key tasks transitioned employees and migrated these processes and data to a centralized management system.

• Decreased the cost of quality
• Increased the number of nonconformance reports (NCRs) per week
• Successfully met and maintain ISO certification

• In the first 6 months of implementation the cost of quality was $18 per man hour and after 2 months of implementation the cost dropped to $11 per man hour
• From 3 NCRs per week on the paper-based system to 8 NCRs per week after one month of using Intelex
• Currently averaging 22 NCRs per week, with NCRs steadily increasing and expected to increase to 40-45 NCRs per week