Southfield, MI (7/12/98) -- BASF, maker of the Glasurit®, R-M®, and Limco® refinish coatings lines, announced that its three primary North American Automotive Refinish facilities were awarded ISO 9001 quality certification on April 24, 1998. The sites now operating under ISO 9001 certification are the Southfield (MI) headquarters; the Whitehouse (OH) R&D laboratory / Application & Training Center; and the Belvidere (NJ) manufacturing and distribution facility.

To be certified, the facilities had to pass an independent audit based on an extensive and stringent series of requirements dealing with quality processes. The audit confirmed that each BASF Automotive Refinish site maintains a qualifying system of documented processes designed to ensure a high standard of quality for all products and services.

The ISO 9000 series of standards was introduced in 1987 by the International Organization for Standardization, a federation of standards bodies from countries around the world based in Geneva, Switzerland. Derived from both the European Community´s EN-29000 and Britain´s BS 5750 quality system standards, the ISO 9000 series represents the first globally harmonized quality evaluation and certification standard. The ISO standards do not evaluate product quality, but rather whether a facility has a proper quality system in place and can document its use.

ISO 9000 models are essentially checklists of functions, policies, and rules considered necessary to assure the quality of a company´s products and services. The ISO 9000 family of standards was purposely designed to be generic so that the same system can be used and recognized by manufacturing and service industries all over the world.

ISO 9001, earned by the three BASF Automotive Refinish facilities, is the most comprehensive model in the ISO 9000 series. It requires businesses to conform to 20 quality system elements focusing on design control, development, production, installation, and servicing. In addition to ISO 9001, there are various other models in the ISO 9000 system (ISO 9002, ISO 9003, ISO 9004-1, and ISO 9004-2) which are more limited in scope.

BASF Automotive Refinish was required to apply for certification with an independent, accredited certification body (or "registrar"), as called for by ISO 9001 specifications. The registrar evaluated the BASF Automotive Refinish quality manual and inspected on-site procedures, determining that ISO 9001 status was deserved. The certification is renewable every three years and is enforced by scheduled surveillance audits, which occur every six months.

The BASF Automotive Refinish system impacts quality along the entire value stream, explained Kim Christian, management representative for theBASF Automotive Refinish Quality System. "The scope of our Quality System includes design, development, production, and servicing of products throughout the BASF Automotive Refinish business group," Christian said.

According to Al Winterman, Group Vice President for BASF Automotive Refinish, ISO 9001 certification reflects the BASF Corporate Quality Policy. "BASF is expressly committed to continuous improvement and conformance to the needs of our customers," Winterman pointed out. "These aren´t just buzzwords to us. Our employees understand that a genuine commitment to quality helps our company in several ways. For one thing, it means better products, which leads to satisfied customers."

Winterman positioned the ISO 9001 certification as a foundation for ongoing excellence. "Now that we have achieved certification, our goal is not only to maintain, but to build upon our Quality System through continuous improvement," Winterman concluded, signaling a new era of ever-increasing product and service quality that BASF customers can expect in the years ahead.