South Gate, California . Cal State Xpress, Inc. announced today that the Company's South Gate facility received ISO 9002 Certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Covering over 125 countries, the ISO organization creates, administers and monitors quality standards in industry and commerce.

Michael W. Wichert, President of Cal State Xpress, said " ISO 9002 Certification is a milestone for our Company. This confirms our commitment to Quality Service and enhances our standing in the industry." Cal State Xpress is a California based trucking company serving all of California. They provide full truckload, less-than-truckload, consolidation & distribution services, in addition to rail and harbor drayage. They have terminals in South Gate (Los Angeles area), San Diego, Fresno and Oakland (San Francisco Bay area). Their Corporate Offices are located at the South Gate terminal.

With this ISO 9002 Certification, Cal State Xpress has established and demonstrated effective processes and procedures that ensure Quality Service, which carries an internationally recognized and certified level of excellence. The certification process involved rigorous training, evaluation, systems analysis, inspection and audit before the coveted ISO Certification mark of approval was awarded. Our ISO 9002 Quality Service Plan will ensure the continuation of this training, evaluation and audit process into the future.

"Our focus has always been on our customers and exceeding their expectations. This certification assures our customers that we have disciplined quality processes and controls in place", said Les Nettles, VP-Operations and ISO 9002 Facilitator for Cal State Xpress. "This significant achievement was accomplished through teamwork, attention to detail, training and a commitment to excellence. We are very proud of all of our employees who, on a daily basis, ensure that these high quality standards are followed."


A Two-Year Process To Create A "Living Document"

For the last two years Les Nettles, Gene Stephens and many others in our organization have worked very hard to create our ISO 9002 Quality Assurance Manual. This Manual is truly a "Living Document". This is the starting point for all of our on-going training, analysis and auditing.

Because of our ISO Program we have created "Training Pods" that meet once a month to work on everything from ISO updates and questions, Customer Service and non-conformity issues. This continuous training is one of the "elements" of our ISO 9002 process. We split the employees into four "Training Pods", or teams, and have a training meeting with one of them each week. These meetings are organized and facilitated by Evelyn Gonsalez, our Human Resources Director. Evelyn is a graduate of the Bullet Proof Manager II series of management training and will use some of this material in her meetings. These pictures are from one of Evelyn's meetings.

Some of you may not be familiar with the ISO, so here is some information from their web site that will give you a little background on the Organization.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from some 130 countries, one from each country. ISO is a non-governmental organization established in 1947. The mission of ISO is to promote the development of standardization and related activities in the world with a view to facilitating the international exchange of goods and services, and to developing cooperation in the spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic activity. ISO's work results in international agreements, which are published as International Standards. Standards are agreements containing technical specifications or other precise criteria to be used consistently as rules, guidelines, or definitions of characteristics, to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose.

International Standards thus contribute to making life simpler, and to increasing the reliability and effectiveness of the goods and services we use.

Many people will have noticed a seeming lack of correspondence between the official title when used in full, International Organization for Standardization, and the short form, ISO. Shouldn't the acronym be "IOS"? Yes, if it were an acronym - which it is not. In fact, "ISO" is a word, derived from the Greek isos, meaning "equal", which is the root of the prefix "iso-" that occurs in a host of terms, such as "isometric" (of equal measure or dimensions) and "isonomy" (equality of laws, or of people before the law).

From "equal" to "standard", the line of thinking that led to the choice of "ISO" as the name of the organization is easy to follow. In addition, the name ISO is used around the world to denote the organization, thus avoiding the plethora of acronyms resulting from the translation of "International Organization for Standardization" into the different national languages of members, e.g. IOS in English, OIN in French (from Organisation internationale de normalisation). Whatever the country, the short form of the Organization's name is always ISO.


Protect Your Business From Blackouts!

It just wouldn't be the Reporter without some kind of informative article directed towards business. It didn't take us long to come up with this topic. With summer here and the "Energy Crisis" in the news and on everyone's mind, we felt that today's energy crisis makes backup power supplies more important than ever.

If you depend on computers for your business, you need blackout protection - a need that is even more critical with power shortages expected in California and other Western states. Here are a few ideas on how to protect computers and other equipment from unexpected interruptions.

Start with an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). It's a dictionary sized, rechargeable battery that your computer plugs into. In a blackout, the UPS gives you 5 to 15 minutes of power to copy files and exit programs without data loss. There are many different UPS manufacturers to choose from. Depending on the size of your computer system, you should have several models to choose from. A UPS also protects your computer from equipment-frying power surges and spikes that travel along electrical lines.

A UPS helps you cope with a blackout, but only for a few minutes. If your business can't function without full-time use of computers, consider a generator. Some California companies realize that the state's power crisis will prevent them from meeting their customer's needs. Many have chosen to install some form of generator. One company bought a 5000-watt generator that runs on unleaded gasoline. This generator will provide more than enough energy to keep their business running.

One of the newest electricity backup options is the fuel cell. Think of it as a low-polluting, refrigerator-sized battery that uses natural gas or propane to recharge at one end while it's discharging power to your office from the other. Fuel cells will be expensive when they first hit the market - six to ten times more expensive than a similar size generator. Later, prices will likely come down. In 10 years, you may find it pays to have a fuel cell not just for backup but also for full-time electrical generation.

Experts say that whatever power backup option you choose, don't delay. Power demand is rising and transmission lines are clogged. Some utilities are saving money by reducing routine maintenance; unfortunately, if fewer tree trimmers are at work, more branches will fall on power lines, causing still more blackouts. And remember, summer is coming. The Department of Energy warns that, as air conditioners go on, power could go off.

"The Reporter" is published by Cal State Xpress, Inc.
9850 E. Frontage Road
P.O. Box 2398
South Gate, CA 90280

Phone (562) 806-7333
Fax (562) 806-7343
E-mail: RBray@la-xpress.com