As far as Quality Management System (QMS) certification is concerned, my first exposure was to ISO 9000: 1994, about seven years after the first ISO 9000 standard emerged from the former BS 5750. The 20 + auditable QMS requirements has resulted in a bewildering and voluminous mass of documentations. It was virtually a system of documents, contrary to a documented system. According to the standard, the company was expected to establish, implement and maintain a documented procedure for all the auditable requirements of the standard. It was a period when the standard was spreading like bush fire, creating a gold mine for Consultants who thrived on the ignorance of the client companies. Preparation and maintenance of the documentation alone, engaged considerable managerial time, and hence the tendency to consider ISO 9000 based QMs as an area separate from the Quality Assurance and other operational functions which has still continued to the present day. This created some dichotomy between the ISO Department and the other functional sections resulting in conflicts. On doing the QMS audits, as an independent auditor for many companies, I have the experience of being confronted with a cart-load of files and documents. This was of course before, the soft copy methodology firmly got established. Many of the External Auditors, spent considerable time, in checking Document and Records, in scrutinizing document reference and revision numbers of even the less significant documents and formats, rather than concentration on the more important requirements. In this respect, I have a great respect for one of the very senior officers of the Sri Lanka Standards Institution, whose approach was to study the operational relationships and their effectiveness.

The transition in to ISO 9001:2000 saw some very significant and far-reaching changes, which the industries, took about one to two years to fully realize. It was a challenge for the auditors and the Certification bodies as well. A careful scrutiny of the eight principles of quality management, will show that they are nothing else but common business sense. The eight principles are:

• Customer focus
• Leadership
• Involvement of people
• Process approach
• Systems approach to management
• Continual improvement
• Factual approach to decision making
• Mutually beneficial supplier relations.

 A casual glance at the principles, will reveal that it is about common sense of good managerial practices., irrespective of whether one goes for certification or not. However, it was an uphill task to grapple these concepts and integrate them holistically in to the quality management systems. Process approach in very simple terms means how to relate the inputs to outputs through the value adding conversions and how to control the activities, realize the desired results. It is directly related to the traditional definition of productivity, namely the ratio of out puts to inputs. What was difficult to comprehend was the fact that, the other seven quality management principles also provide inputs for the process approach. As an example, the auditors found it a grey area when it comes to evaluating leadership, in the context of the process approach. Regarding the establishment of the Quality Policy, which in turn is a requirement under leadership, I have seen many quality polices with attractive wordings which more often serve as show pieces. Very few companies have used the quality policy to provide direction for the setting up of quality objectives. One of the meaningful but concise quality policies I have seen is “We do everything, correctly, right first time at all times’’.

While the 2008 version of the ISO 9001 standard consisted of some notional changes only, the 2015 version signified a complete change of the concept of quality stressing the importance of quality in business strategy, by considering the impacts of external and internal factors and the expectations of internal and external parties on quality and including risk management as an important aspect of quality. Although the prime focus on ISO is product or service quality, companies cannot ignore the impact on quality, which covers product quality (Q), Price (P), and Delivery (D). The recent impacts of Covid-19 pandemic on the above aspect of quality, was amply seen throughout the world. The above requirements under the Organization Context, is a move in the right direction, in integrating quality in to all aspects of the business. However, most companies and even auditors, consider this in isolation as another requirement of the ISO 9001, which need minimum compliance. Similar comments can have made on the Identification of the risks and opportunities of the operational processes.

Product and service quality is used by most companies as means of maximizing the profit. The Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, Milton Friedman in 1970, stated that the sole responsibility of a business is to “use its resources to increase its profits. As a result of the rapid growth in consumerism, both locally and globally, business firms operate in a challenging and continually changing business environment. The rapid change is supported by rapidly expanding technology, and particularly of information technology. Dynamic organizations are making serious efforts to keep abreast of developments, in the changing business environment, while many traditional and conservative organizations are failing. Change has become inevitable.”

While we cannot find any fault with this approach, one cannot overlook the Social and Environmental bottom lines, which together with the Economic bottom-line, constitute the Triple Bottom of Sustainable development. The role of quality management on the social and environmental bottom lines, is a concept that has great potential in the modern-day concept. The reduction of scarp and rejects, especially in the tyre industry, will improve the environmental performance, while reducing the health and fire risks, often caused by irresponsible dumping.

 Internal and external communications under the requirement 7.0, Support of the ISO 9001 and 14001:2015 standards are another area where adequate attention has been given. Despite the great advances in ICT, we can trace miscommunications as the root cause of most of the Non- conformance report raised during the QMS audits.

John Ruskin, the English author, (1819 -1900 ) once said, “ Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligence effort.” I have seen this famous quote adorning the walls in some offices of CEOs and Senior Managers. However, the perennially repeating non-conformances related to quality in a large number of companies, make me to wonder whether the management and the mangers, “walk the talk.” Companies have in their procession, a handy tool, in the disguise of ISO 9001:2015, to enable them to establish the standard procedures, (SOPs), operate them and control, but many consider it as something to worry about only during the external audits of the certification bodies.

In this respect, it is worthy of mentioning that, in my country Sri Lanka, there is a famous Buddhist Cultural Pageant, in August every year, that attracts locals as well large numbers of tourists from across the globe. For the past 400+ years, this event follows the SOPs, without any, awareness of the ISO 9000, emphasizing that there is no magic or mystery about ISO, but the prevalence of good common sense. (TT)

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The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company expanded its all-season portfolio with the Vector All Season 4, launched in late April 2026 and aimed at a broader span of European vehicles, from premium models to electric vehicles. Aimed at motorists who prefer a single set of tyres for the whole year, the product builds on almost five decades of Goodyear all-season development and debuts WeatherReady Technology, an engineering platform created to keep performance steady as conditions shift.

Independent testing has already brought the tyre attention. Tyre Reviews named it ‘Test Winner’ in its most recent all-season comparison, and Auto Bild Allrad likewise placed it first as ‘Test Winner’, drawing attention to exemplary snow traction plus second-place finishes in snow handling, dry handling and rolling resistance.

For regions where climate, roads and regulations favour all-weather rubber, the Vector All Season 4 serves as a premium choice for drivers wanting readiness for dry, wet and milder winter conditions year-round while easing the hassle of seasonal swaps such as workshop appointments, scheduling and off-season storage. Balanced dry, wet and winter capability now reaches rim diameters up to 23 inches, opening premium year-round convenience to segments that previously lacked an all-season option.

The new tyre sits alongside Goodyear’s existing all-weather range, including the Vector 4Seasons Gen-3, which in 2024 became the first all-season tyre to earn ADAC’s overall ‘Good’ rating. The Gen-3 remains especially suited to smaller cars, with most SKUs at 16 inches and below, pairing strong wet and snow performance with efficiency. Goodyear’s all-weather work dates to 1977 and the Tiempo, which the company calls the world’s first all-weather tyre. With the technology’s 50th anniversary nearing in 2027, Goodyear continues refining all-season tyres for evolving European driving conditions.

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Hankook Tire’s new Winter i*cept evo 4 delivered a strong debut in Auto Bild’s major 2026 winter tyre test, finishing joint third among 50 models in size 245/45 R19. The premium tyre earned an overall score of 1.4 and an ‘exemplary’ rating reserved for only the four highest-placed tyres. Testing was carried out on a BMW 5 Series, with two tyres sharing first place and two sharing third after consistently strong results across all 16 disciplines.

The publication’s test panel characterised the Hankook model as a newcomer combining a strong cost profile with precise dry-road handling. Before the full test, all 50 tyres underwent wet and snow braking comparisons, and only the 20 with the shortest combined stopping distances progressed. Hankook had already secured fourth place in qualifying with a combined braking distance of 65.5 metres.

Its individual results comprised 36.3 metres when braking from 80 kmph in wet conditions and 29.2 metres from 50 kmph on snow. The outcome marks a successful test debut for the Winter i*cept evo 4, placing it among the leading performers in the 2026 evaluation.

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Apollo Tyres’ five manufacturing plants in India have received Five-Star Ratings and Sword of Honour awards for 2026 from the British Safety Council, recognising their occupational health and safety management.

The awards follow the council’s Five-Star Occupational Health and Safety Audit, which assesses an organisation’s safety policies, processes and practices through documentation reviews, stakeholder interviews and sampling of operational activities.

The Sword of Honour recognises organisations that achieve the maximum five stars in the council’s independent audit and demonstrate a strong culture of health and safety across their operations. The 2026 awards mark the 47th consecutive year in which the council has presented the honour.

Rajeev Kumar Sinha, Chief Manufacturing And Sustainability Officer at Apollo Tyres, said: “Safety is a core value at Apollo Tyres and integral to everything we do. The recognition of all five of our manufacturing plants in India by the British Safety Council reflects our collective commitment to high standards of health and safety. While this achievement is a matter of pride, we remain focused on continuous improvement and fostering a culture where everyone takes ownership of safety and returns home safe every day.”

Peter McGettrick, Chairman of the British Safety Council, said: “On behalf of the board of trustees and staff of the British Safety Council I would like to congratulate Apollo Tyres on achieving the highest standards of its health and safety management. Achieving recognition of this sort takes absolute dedication and the utmost professionalism. We are proud to support you in your achievements and delighted we can contribute to your ongoing success.”

Mike Robinson, Chief Executive of the British Safety Council, added: “I would like to congratulate Apollo Tyres and its staff on this award, in tribute to their commitment to keeping their workplace safe and healthy and contributing to safeguarding the environment. All of the Sword award-winning organisations share a commitment and willingness to achieve the uppermost standards of health and safety. We thank Apollo Tyres for contributing to achieving our vision that no one should be injured or made ill through their work.”

The assessment period for the 2026 awards ran from  1 August 2025 to 31 July  2026. Award recipients also had to demonstrate to an independent adjudication panel a track record of good health and safety practices throughout their organisations, from the shopfloor to the boardroom.

Apollo Tyres manufactures tyres in India and Hungary and sells products under the Apollo and Vredestein brands in more than 100 countries.

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Michelin will present its newest trailer tyre, the 385/65 R22.5 X Multi T2, at stand D60 during RTX Scotland, scheduled for 18–19 November at Glasgow’s SEC. The Glasgow event marks the UK show debut for the tyre, which Michelin says offers 15 percent more mileage and six percent lower rolling resistance than the model it replaces.

Alongside the tyre, Michelin will highlight its Remix 2 process, an extension of its multi-life policy that permits a second retread and further regrooving. The company claims this can extend a tyre’s service life by as much as 375 percent. Remix 2 is presently undergoing trials with selected Michelin customers and builds on established retreading at the firm’s Stoke remanufacturing site.

Designed for regional and mixed transport, the X Multi T2 handles heavy loads and lateral forces during manoeuvring while remaining robust across varied conditions. It carries EU label ratings of B for rolling resistance, C for wet grip and A for external rolling noise, plus 3PMSF and M+S markings for winter suitability.

The combination of a second premium retread with up to three regroovings during service is central to Michelin’s multi-life proposition. Fleets gain greater value and mileage from each fitment, with the maximum safe distance potentially reaching 375 percent of a single-life Michelin tyre’s baseline.

Andrew French, B2B Sales Director at Michelin UK & Ireland, said, “We’re excited to be giving the X Multi T2 its UK debut at RTX Scotland. Enhancing our popular X Multi range, it’s another asset that can help hauliers go further for less as part of a well-managed tyre policy. The opportunity to showcase our Remix 2 offer, which can significantly boost the longevity of each tyre and reduce the total cost of ownership, underlines our commitment to maximising value.”

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