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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Bridgestone has launched a new range of underground mining tyres engineered to perform in extremely harsh conditions, enabling greater productivity with fewer resources. The VMNT, VMDL and VMMS products are specifically designed for underground applications, where abrasive rock, high moisture and continuous operations create one of the toughest environments for tyres.

All three models debut Bridgestone’s Subterranean technology, allowing haulers to carry heavier loads without raising inflation pressure. This innovation also lowers the risk of cuts, penetrations and costly downtime. The tyres form part of the company’s Moving More with Less philosophy, balancing higher capacity, durability and safety to help operators maximise output underground.

The tyres reduce penetrations by enveloping rocks instead of allowing them to cut into the rubber while preserving grip and operator comfort. The VMNT offers extended wear life for underground haulers, the VMDL uses a unique lug pattern for traction on load and haul dump machines and the VMMS features a smooth grooveless design where traction comes from terrain contact, plus cut-resistant sidewalls. Available sizes include 26.5 R25, 29.5 R29 and 35/65 R33.

This release strengthens Bridgestone’s off-road tyre portfolio and reinforces its commitment to innovative solutions that improve productivity, durability and safety in specialised global applications.

Rob Cole, Key Account Manager – Off Road Tyres, UK and Ireland, Bridgestone, said, “These tyres are specifically designed for the harshest terrains that you’ll ever come across. Underground mines are among the most demanding and challenging environments imaginable. The beauty of these tyres is that they can carry 15 percent extra load capacity without increasing the pressure. Traditionally, the thinking in this sector was to make the casing stronger and simply put more air into the tyre to carry more load. In reality, that can be counterproductive in these conditions.

“If a tyre fails underground, it can fail with a tremendous amount of force, costing operators huge amounts of money in downtime and, more importantly, potentially endangering life. The machines themselves are getting heavier, so the tyre beads have also been strengthened to help carry more load safely and effectively. What Bridgestone has developed here is a tyre range capable of handling the severe realities of underground mining while helping operators move more with less.”

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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has confirmed that its flagship ADVAN brand tyres powered the JR2 Class victor at 2026 WRC FORUM8 Rally Japan, the seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship. The race took place from 28 to 31 May on courses spanning Japan’s Aichi and Gifu prefectures.

The ADVAN A051T tarmac rally tyres delivered the grip, control and wear resistance essential for navigating the event’s technically demanding stages under high surface temperatures. The JR2 Class is designated for national and regional rally vehicles with engine displacements above 1600 cc and up to 2500 cc. The winning car was a TOYOTA 86 fielded by K-ONE RACING TEAM, driven by Yuta Yamamoto and Shizuka Takehara.

Their well-coordinated, precision driving, combined with the ADVAN A051T tyres’ performance, allowed them to clock the fastest time on every stage except SS10, where a Notional Time was applied. The pair finished over 17 minutes ahead of the second-place car. Yamamoto has now claimed first place in the JR2 Class at Rally Japan for five consecutive years, with ADVAN tyres contributing each time.

Beyond Rally Japan, Yamamoto also competes in the Japanese Rally Championship, where he has secured the JN-3 class series title for three straight years, again supported by ADVAN rally tyres. Rally Japan is the country’s round of the WRC, which ranks alongside Formula 1 and the FIA World Endurance Championship as a premier global motorsport series. The competition is run entirely on tarmac roads, and this year’s WRC calendar features 14 rounds across different nations worldwide.

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Tyres Europe has responded to the European Commission’s recent policy package on the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), offering qualified support for measures that reduce red tape. Industry representatives have pointed to proposed exemptions for retreaded and test tyres as a positive step, arguing these products do not present the same supply chain traceability risks as standard new tyres. The move is seen as a way to prevent unnecessary administrative costs for businesses.

A significant point of clarity within the Commission’s documents involves the dual legal status of tyre makers. Under the new framework, manufacturers are considered operators when importing natural rubber but become first downstream operators when selling finished goods. Tyres Europe has endorsed this distinction, stating it prevents the needless circulation of due diligence statement numbers after the raw material has already been cleared at the border. The association believes the same rationale should apply to imported finished tyres, which have already satisfied verification requirements upon entry.

Nevertheless, serious practical hurdles remain, particularly concerning the EUDR’s digital infrastructure. The tyre sector routinely mixes domestically produced and imported tyres within the same warehouses for extended periods, forcing companies to repeatedly consolidate large volumes of due diligence references for customer shipments. Although the Commission has acknowledged the necessity of grouping tools, the current design of the Information System may undermine these simplified procedures. Industry leaders warn that without technically sound solutions, system resilience could be compromised.

Tyres Europe has formally requested that the EUDR’s existing implementation deadline stay unchanged. Instead of delaying the rules, the group urges policymakers to resolve unresolved operational issues through narrowly tailored fixes. The ultimate goal is to prevent duplicate transmission obligations wherever prior due diligence can be clearly demonstrated, ensuring that supply chains remain functional without sacrificing regulatory oversight.

Adam McCarthy, Secretary General, Tyres Europe, said, “The tyre industry supports the objectives of the EUDR and is ready to implement it. After years of preparation, companies now need implementation certainty. The priority now should be to ensure that the remaining operational issues are addressed through targeted refinements and further implementation guidance, rather than through any reopening of the Regulation itself.”

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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has been named a ‘Supplier Engagement Leader’, the top ranking in the 2025 Supplier Engagement Assessment by CDP, a global environmental nonprofit focused on a sustainable economy. This marks the second consecutive year the company has received the highest rating.

The CDP assessment examines how businesses effectively collaborate with suppliers on climate change issues, based on five criteria from its climate questionnaire: governance and strategy, emissions targets, Scope 3 emissions, risk management and supplier cooperation. Yokohama Rubber aims to achieve net zero CO₂ emissions from its own operations by 2050 and has disclosed Scope 3 emissions since 2013.

To address supply chain climate impact, the company created the Yokohama Green Procurement Guidelines with suppliers to promote eco-friendly raw materials. It also holds annual CSR briefings for suppliers on carbon neutrality. Under its ‘Caring for the Future’ sustainability slogan, Yokohama Rubber continues to generate shared value by tackling social issues through business activities.

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