Overland Hosted Delegation From the Chongqing Municipality of China

Overland Storage, Inc. hosted 22 members of a quality supervision delegation from the Chongqing Municipality of China as part of a global exchange of manufacturing best practices, tools and technologies. The delegation, which included government officials in charge of business quality control as well as quality practitioners, met with Overland executives and other local companies to gain a better understanding of international quality standards and assessment systems.

As part of a full-day visit, the delegation toured Overland’s San Diego manufacturing facilities while also receiving a demonstration of the company’s Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing methodologies. Additionally, the importance of ever-increasing quality control and global supply chain management issues were addressed by a panel of experts, including:

• Brett Carter, Overland’s director of global quality and president of the San Diego Chapter of the American Society for Quality (ASQ);
• Abe Wong, quality manager, Quality System Integrated Corporation;
• Anne Proctor, supply chain sourcing manager for ev3 Inc., Neurovascular Division;
• Gabriel Suarez, global supplier management service for AMREP;
• Keith Boyle, quality and productivity resources, Lean 6-Sigma Applications; and
• David Du, owner of DDH Enterprises.

"Overland was honored to host the Chinese delegation and provide insight into all the steps we’re taking to build a world-class manufacturing operation," says Carter. "We work closely with different suppliers throughout the world, especially in China, and continually collaborate to improve processes, increase quality awareness and ensure consistent, high standards of quality operations."

The contingent also reviewed different quality management standards, including the stringent requirements for attaining ISO 9001, AS9100, ISO 13485 and FDA certifications. In July 2008, Overland announced the company had been granted ISO 9001:2000 certification for meeting a precise set of quality requirements encompassing the company’s product design, development, manufacturing and service activities. "The various ASQ members eagerly shared their ideas and advice on quality management," added Carter. "In doing so, we provided the Chinese delegation with best practices that will prove useful as they rebuild their local infrastructures following the devastating earthquake earlier this year."

The American Society for Quality (ASQ) is the world’s leading authority on quality with more than 100,000 individual and organizational members worldwide. This professional association advances learning, quality improvement and knowledge exchange to improve business results and create better workplaces and communities worldwide.