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Korea attains its first ISO/TS2 Certification

By Young Joo Lee, Quality Registration Services/UL Korea Ltd.

Sajeev Jesudas presents UL Korea’s first ISO/TS 16949:2002 certificate to Kyu Hwan HanOn Oct. 25, 2002, Sajeev Jesudas, general manager, Asia Pacific region, presented UL Korea’s first ISO/TS 16949:2002 certificate to Kyu Hwan Han, president and CEO of Hyundai MOBIS.

An unstable economy and highly competitive business climate presented UL Korea, Ltd. with some aggressive, if not difficult, goals to achieve in 2002. But that did not stop UL Korea and UL India Private Limited from partnering to secure a new Quality Registration Services (QRS) client, Hyundai MOBIS Co., Ltd. The joint effort to sign up one of Korea's largest automotive parts manufacturers was completed in less than three months.

In July 2002, UL Korea learned that Hyundai MOBIS wanted to be the first automotive manufacturer to get an ISO/TS16949:2002 certification in Korea (ISO/TS 16949:2002 Quality Management Systems - Particular Requirements for the Application of ISO 9001:2000 for Automotive Production and Relevant Service Part Organizations). UL Korea contacted Hyundai MOBIS and explained Underwriters Laboratories Inc.'s benefits and audit approach.

When ISO/TS 16949:2002 (or TS2, for the second version of this certification) was released in March 2002, UL Korea planned to have the first TS2 auditors in the country as it had for 1999 version. However, the auditor certification course was postponed to the end of November, which meant there were no qualified TS2 auditors in Korea. Fortunately, UL India has the necessary auditors and could support UL Korea in its quest for TS2 clients.

"We assured Hyundai that UL would be one of the first ISO/TS 16949:2002 registrars in the world to obtain recognition from International Automotive Oversight Bureau (IAOB)," said Young Joo Lee, manager, QRS, UL Korea, "and that we could then issue the first certificate in Korea."

Negotiations were tough, especially when a major competitor said it would provide preliminary evaluation assessment and travel expense free of charge. But UL Korea persevered. "We talked with Hyundai continuously to help the company understand UL's strong points in the automotive industry, including our auditor's capabilities and the merit of UL certification," Lee said.

After several meetings, Hyundai selected UL as its ISO/TS 16949 registrar. By the end of October, UL Korea had completed two QRS assessments -- one for Hyundai's air bag division and the other for its Cockpit module system division.

"We will maintain a close and good relationship with this client," Lee said.

For more information, contact Young Joo Lee at Seoul, Korea, by phone at +82-2-767-0512; or by e-mail at YoungJoo.Lee@kr.ul.com.

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