Avocent Quality Policy

• Empower each employee to be proactive in supporting continuous improvement.
• Continuously improve products, services, and processes to anticipate and exceed the needs of our customers.
• Innovate and continuously improve management systems to ensure our work is consistent with this commitment.

Avocent senior management is committed to this policy and will provide the leadership, resources, and training to support it.

John R. Cooper
Chief Executive Officer

Quality at Avocent

Quality Assurance at Avocent is underpinned by the Avocent Quality Management System which is certified to ISO9001:2000. At Avocent we are committed to ensuring a continuously positive experience for our customers with Avocent solutions and services, and that means excellence in everything we do. This extends throughout Avocent and everybody who works with us. We strive to achieve perfection through our product realization processes by utilising tools such as Advanced Quality Planning (AQP), Failure Modes Effect Analysis (FMEA) and Product Part Approval Process (PPAP). Partners and Suppliers are selected on the basis of their ability to meet our own exacting standards. We are committed to the process of continuous improvement and creative innovation, not just in our solutions and services, but also in our processes. We focus on prevention rather than reaction, true root cause analysis, zero defects and rapid and effective resolution of customer issues.

How does it work?

When it comes to quality excellence, work at Avocent begins at the very start of a product’s design and development. At Avocent, the concept of quality is defined as the methods used to design, manufacture, deliver and support a product, service or solution destined for use by a customer. This set of methods, guided by the management system, are precisely defined and continuously improved, and are applied from the beginning to end of every project.

The requirements for each project are clearly defined, which guides the management of every new project. The thoroughness and accuracy of these requirements directly determines the quality of the finished product and our ability to meet customer expectations. The project requirements go hand in hand with detailed planning. Each milestone is minutely planned, and must be scrupulously met. Throughout the project’s life, key indicators allow the team to monitor progress. These deal with every part of the product’s development, and measure the effectiveness at each stage of the lifecycle.

Producing the best possible product also demands effective internal communication. Every member of an organisation needs to feel involved – and valued. Internal motivation and empowerment is an important priority at Avocent.

Finally, supplier relations are critical. The aim is to meet the project and product specifications while limiting expenditure and rejection rates for new products. Intimate knowledge of the supplier’s capabilities and a precise product definition are once again the keys to achieving optimum quality. Indeed, achieving optimum quality also means optimising expenditure within the limits defined by the project.

Conclusion: A never-ending quest

Quality Excellence is more than a buzzword at Avocent. It’s a serious concept, and a working philosophy that is continuously improved.

What is ISO?

ISO 9000 is a set of quality management standards, recognized worldwide, developed and controlled by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Geneva, Switzerland. The documents that define the ISO 9000 standard, adopted by more than 100 countries, provide a quality management system philosophy and guidance, as well as specifications to which the quality system must adhere. This means that Avocent has established a systematic approach to quality management, and is managing its business to ensure that customer needs are clearly understood, agreed and fulfilled.

ISO 9001 (to which Avocent is certified) is the most stringent of the ISO 9000 standards. ISO 9001 requires that a company meet a set of requirements aimed primarily at achieving quality and customer satisfaction at all program stages from design through servicing. Avocent established a quality policy requiring support and "buy-in" from all staff levels. Our employees ensure that we continue to meet our quality objectives.

What does ISO registration mean for Avocent?

Avocent uses proven management tools and processes which have been continuously developed and improved since our inception. By "proven" we mean validated by Avocent's ISO 9001 registration. To achieve this, independent third party auditors evaluated all aspects of our business to verify that we do what we say we do - consistently.

The ISO registration is not a single event but a long-term commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. Although we attained global ISO 9001 registration in 2003, we must continue to prove to an independent external auditor at least each year that our quality system is effective and that our process improvement efforts are ongoing.

How does ISO encourage continuous process improvement? 

To ensure we are doing business as our QMS procedures say we do, we implemented an internal audit system. Several times a year, programs and functional areas are subjected to a rigorous review by a staff of personnel trained in auditing techniques. These auditors review evidence that our business complies with our QMS procedures, and generate CAPAs (Corrective & Preventive Actions) for identified nonconformities. The CAPA owners identify the root cause and implement corrective or preventive actions; planned preventive action ensures that the problem does not reoccur. The Avocent Quality Assurance organization monitors the status of CAPA’s, to ensure that corrections are made in a timely fashion. Follow-up audits are conducted to verify that corrective actions are implemented and effective. Audit statistics are compiled and presented to Avocent's senior staff for review.

What does ISO 9001 mean for our customers? 

This means Avocent has established a systematic approach to quality management, focused on the customer, and is managing its business to ensure that customer needs are clearly understood, agreed and fulfilled. It also means that we are committed to continuously improving our processes, and the products and services which we provide.

Avocent ISO9001:2000 Certificate