WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., Oct. 3, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Navigation Systems Division (NSD) has achieved the prestigious International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2000 certification, demonstrating that its quality management standards meet rigorous international requirements.
Navigation Systems Division sites in Woodland Hills, Calif.; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Norfolk, Va. achieved this registration by planning, developing, documenting, implementing and auditing its quality management system (QMS), followed by an independent audit of the system from Det Norske Veritas (DNV). DNV's third-party audit reviewed aspects of the Northrop Grumman QMS relating to the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Navigation Systems Division sites in Heidelberg and Freiburg, Germany, successfully completed ISO 9001:2000 registrations in November 2002 and February 2003, respectively.
This latest audit focused on documentation requirements, the quality manual, document controls, records control, management responsibilities, policies and objectives, quality management systems planning, resource management, training, infrastructure, product realization, customer property measurement analysis, customer satisfaction, internal auditing, and corrective and preventive action. DNV found no major nonconformities with respect to the requirements of the ISO 9001:2000 standard.
"This certification forms the baseline from which we apply Lean and Six-Sigma methodologies to measure our efficiency and refine our quality management system," said Dr. Alexis C. Livanos, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division. "Through the continuous application of these principles, Navigation Systems assures the integrity of its processes and the fulfillment of its long-term commitment to provide value to its customers."
"This achievement reflects our ongoing commitment to quality and continuous process improvement," said John Alston, director, Quality and Regulatory Systems, Navigation Systems Division. "It also reflects the confidence our customers may continue to place in us to provide quality solutions."
The ISO 9001:2000 standard, released in December 2000 as the successor to ISO 9000:1994, is an internationally recognized quality management system developed by ISO. The certificate for the Salt Lake City, Woodland Hills, and Norfolk facilities was issued by DNV, an independent quality management systems registrar for the ISO. The Canton, Mass., facility of Northrop Grumman has ISO 9001:1994 certification under a separate certificate.
DNV is a leading international provider of services for managing risk with 300 offices in 100 different countries. It is one of the world's leading certification bodies and registrars offering the latest in management systems certification services.
Based in Woodland Hills, Calif., Navigation Systems Division is part of Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector and provides situational awareness for the defense and commercial markets. It offers integrated avionics, inertial navigation and guidance systems, satellite electronics, identification friend or foe systems, cockpit displays, fiber-optic sensors and systems, and logistic support products and services.