Kien is positive. Always. For a QM professional, that's not a given. "Getting the certification, all those months of intensive work – that was a real challenge. I already knew the process and was aware: I have to set the bar high. Push a little. Point out mistakes. Be politely persistent. Raise awareness. Show up at colleagues' desks all the time. In the end, one of them even said when he saw me coming:
You here? Did we mess something up?"
It's not Kien alone who deserves credit for feno successfully completing the IATF 16949 certification. Of course, this important milestone is a team achievement. IATF 16949 is the international quality standard for automotive suppliers. Without this certification, it's becoming increasingly difficult to be taken seriously as a partner in the industry. "This isn't a nice-to-have," Kien explains. "It's the foundation. But between 'we need to have it' and 'we did it really well' lies a lot of work."
And that work was intense: production processes were analyzed down to the last detail, procedures were questioned and optimized, and the quality management system was tightened. "Some of these were discussions about details that others might find boring – but it's precisely these details that make the difference."
What makes him particularly proud? "That the team didn't just tick boxes. We used IATF as an opportunity to genuinely improve. That was the goal – and we achieved it."
The certification confirms that feno meets all requirements of the international standard – from product development through manufacturing to delivery. For Kien and his team, it mainly means one thing: "We now know that our processes meet high standards. And we're committed to continuing to improve them. But that won't be a major effort – it will be daily consistency."
