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Helmut Jilling / Associates

We promote a different approach to ISO (ISO 9001, IATF-16949, ISO 14001). We focus on squeezing more value and benefits from ISO programs. Too often, ISO programs are not getting the profits and improvements they promised. Many companies are simply not seeing the benefits they expected.


Are Internal Audits providing meaningful findings to improve your company? Do they provide value? Or, do they seem to just bury you in little corrective actions that make paperwork?


Is your ISO program too much hassle? We need to apply a different approach to ISO. We can implement an easy, compliant way to get a lot more value from ISO programs.


Most of my clients operate at 0-5 PPMs, and 100% delivery. Do you want to be one of those? Would that reduce stress in your day-to-day operations?


The SERVICES area provides info about the Training, Consulting, Auditing we provide, and the standards we support. We absolutely provide some of the BEST, Value-Added Training, Consulting, Auditing services in North America, and we guarantee it!


Be sure to look at our TOOLS page. There you can download some of the most useful FREE tools, forms and templates available to get you going in the right direction.


CONTACT ME directly using the email form or call me at 704-776-8993 for questions or more info. (Note: email is usually a quicker way to reach me. I am frequently in meetings with clients, so you might need to leave a voicemail. Or, email me and I’ll contact you back).

OUR SERVICES

HELMUT JILLING / ASSOCIATES has offices in Charlotte, NC and Akron, OH. We provide Training, Consulting, Auditing all over North America. We can also work in Europe or Asia, as needed. 

Most Training, Consulting, Auditing is provided directly by Helmut Jilling, the Sr. Consultant. He has over 20 years of experience in quality improvement and ISO based systems. (See "Tools" to download his CV). We also work with a select network of specialists (AS 9100, Six Sigma) to supplement any particular specialties as needed.

Public Training at public venues are held at various times and places throughout the year. These meet the ISO and IATF requirements. According to the ISO and IATF Rules, when training is public, anyone can participate. The Rules allow even my current audit clients to participate, without any conflict of interest. The Rules expressly allow that type of training, and it is not considered consulting. 

Private Training, typically done onsite at a company, allows more direct and in-depth Training, Review and Involvement in your company’s own QMS and EMS. It also allows us to work more directly with specific problems you are experiencing.

Helmut Jilling personally provides the trainings, and has years 20 years of experience in auditing the standards. He has worked with 500+ companies, large and small, as an auditor or consultant. Heavy in automotive and general industry, he has worked with some of the best systems and finest people. He helps companies implement systems, corrective actions, and opportunities for improvement. And now we have added RBT (risk based thinking) to the mix. This is some of the best training, we make it easy to understand, and we provide tools and templates so your people can hit the ground running.


Helmut Jilling is qualified for IATF-16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001. My approach to internal audits focuses on Process audits with a proprietary approach – “Improvement Audits.” Successful participants receive Lead Auditor certificates.

In upgrade audits, most companies are incurring major and minor nonconformities. It is better to prevent this through robust preparation. In many cases, part of the root cause is an insufficient understanding of the requirements and how the requirements are interpreted. Helmut Jilling has been an IATF licensed 3rd party auditor since the beginning, and has passed all exams. He understands the requirements and interpretations, and has the experience to help you implement them expediently and effectively, and to have better audit results. We work hard to help ensure effective outcomes.

In the upgrade audits, many companies are incurring significant corrective actions, major and minor nonconformities. It is better to prevent this through robust preparation. But, when it happens, it is too late to prevent. The next best thing is to at least do a very effective, corrective action response to each finding, and get your certification back on track before the deadline.


In many cases, part of the root cause is an insufficient understanding of the requirements and how the requirements will be interpreted. Helmut Jilling has been an IATF licensed 3rd party auditor since the beginning, and has passed all current exams. He understands the requirements and interpretations better than most consultants, and has the experience to help you implement them expediently and effectively, to pass the corrective actions and special audits that must be completed and get your certification back on track before the deadlines. We work hard to help ensure effective outcomes.

As the standards become more complicated, and employees are more and more busy, It has become more difficult for some companies to perform their own internal audits, and keep their internal auditor skills sharp, while still trying to meet all their other duties… Increasingly, companies are finding it is more effective to bring in a well-qualified contract Lead Auditor to perform the process based, internal audits, especially in preparation for their upgrade audits. Improve your outcomes. It will be rare to find an internal auditor with more experience – more than 1500 3rd party audits. We can perform your internal audits, help with corrective actions, and help you prepare for your upgrade audit. Qualified Lead Auditor for IATF-16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001. My approach to internal audits focuses on Process audits with a proprietary approach – “Improvement Audits.” And, since I work as a contracted employee, it does not affect your internal headcounts.

Both of these vital processes can provide a lot of benefit to your company. But why start from scratch? We have the tools and the knowledge…. in a short period of time, we can help implement and teach your management team how to perform these more effectively, and to search for risks and opportunities to harvest. Done well, it can easily pay for itself. Once your team has a little bit of experience, we can turn it over to you as an internal activity if you prefer.

The IATF standard is now packaged in two separate books – IATF-16949, ISO 9001. Yet, they must be used together, simultaneously. And many companies also follow ISO 14001. These standards are designed to work together in unison, but they are packaged separately. It is very hard to work with, trying to read three different standards on your desk at the same time.


We have a lot of experience in combining and integrating the standards into a common BMS System. We have also produced a unique three panel template, that paraphrases the three standards into a single document, showing the three standards paraphrased, in parallel for cross-reference. They can be read in context with each other, and see how the requirements relate. This can be used as the template for your quality system in a combined format. Truly the best way to work for most companies, and very easy to manage even if there are several managers involved.

... brings many new requirements to the IATF-16949 standard. I have a unique solution. Organizations are now required to promote IATF-16949 certification to their sub-suppliers, and in many cases, must actually assist in the process. This is a significant escalation in the requirements, and it remains to be seen how different registrars and auditors will interpret it, and how far organizations will be expected to go in meeting this requirement. As you can imagine it could become a very costly endeavor if you have to perform significant onsite auditing of your sub-suppliers because they’re not certified to IATF.


But, if the purpose of this supplier development requirement is to help your sub-suppliers improve their performance, develop robust systems, and thereby gain your trust and your business, then there is a significant financial interest for your sub-suppliers to improve their performance and compliance. If the sub-supplier is going to gain the benefit, and if their current performance is substandard, (costing you time, money and aggravation), wouldn’t it be reasonable that the sub-supplier should bear the cost of supplier development in return for retaining your business?


Now, obviously you can’t send an invoice to the sub-supplier charging them for your staff’s time. However, in the same way that requiring third-party sorting has become well-established, I am now offering to provide external consulting to sub-suppliers to help them improve their performance. I can offer them the same guarantee I offer you… that the improvements in their performance will more than cover the cost of my consulting and training. In other words, their performance improves, you gain a reliable supplier, and the net cost to all is zero. That is the ultimate win-win situation.


It’s a new concept, but for a lot of companies, perhaps most companies, you simply don’t have the in-house staff to dedicate many days at sub-suppliers helping them develop their systems and improve their performance. In this concept, all you need to do is refer us to your sub-supplier, and recommend or urge them to consider hiring us, in the same way that you would require them to select a third party sorting company if performance is poor. We can promise better results for far less cost than endless sorting costs.

Improve performance, improve customer satisfaction, improve skills… results in improved profits. I’ve worked with some of the best management teams in the country, where zero ppm and 100% delivery was the norm. We can help move your performance toward that next level and improve customer satisfaction and profits. Improve your deliverables. This is a new level of business management consulting at the top manager levels. But, I am very confident that we can bring value to the table. What have you got to lose?

I have worked with clients who have implemented environmental objectives to achieve zero landfill waste. I have reviewed their objectives, projects, and evaluated their methods… and can help you do the same. Would there be a competitive advantage toward satisfying your customers, if you significantly reduce or even fully eliminate your landfill waste? Effective environmental management can actually add profits to the bottom line, through savings in materials, utilities, and waste streams. An effective ISO 14001 program can and should fully pay for itself.

As the standards become more complicated, and employees are more and more busy, It has become more difficult for some companies to perform their own internal audits, and keep their internal auditor skills sharp, while still trying to meet all their other duties… Increasingly, companies are finding it is more effective to bring in a well-qualified contract Lead Auditor to perform the process based, internal audits, especially in preparation for their upgrade audits. Improve your outcomes. It will be rare to find an internal auditor with more experience – more than 1500 3rd party audits. We can perform your internal audits, help with corrective actions, and help you prepare for your upgrade audit. Qualified Lead Auditor for IATF-16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001. My approach to internal audits focuses on Process audits with a proprietary approach – “Improvement Audits.” And, since I work as a contracted employee, it does not affect your internal headcounts.

OUR GUARANTEE

Our approach is rather simple - we believe that the ISO based programs, when implemented properly and effectively, will more than pay for themselves. They will add money to the bottom line by improving performance.

However, a lot of companies do not find that. They have made an investment, but they don't see the full gains and benefits they expected. A lot of companies have become somewhat pessimistic on the whole ISO idea.

 We work with a lot of those clients. And, we guarantee, if you work with us, and follow the plan we lay out, the net cost will be zero, with a positive contribution to your bottom line.

 We find one of the biggest gaps is just attempting to launch into ISO 9001, IATF-16949 or ISO 14001, without adequate training, guidance or planning. ISO is a little more complicated than that. A lot of companies just try to tackle it on their own. It works much more effectively with the proper partnering with a good trainer / consultant who can give the proper guidance. And, if the net cost is ZERO, why not?

Check it out. Let's talk...