KEEPING OUR PROMISES

With us, you’ll find it a lot easier. That’s promising a lot, but to make sure we keep our promises we measure ourselves against ambitious standards. And to ensure we deliver the quality that’s expected of us, we also use a certified quality management system. This is probably one of the reasons automotive companies often recommend us to other suppliers as an objective consulting company. For example, we support VW as a software quality improvement leader (SQIL) in honing its software skills.

  • Quality and Certification

    QUALITY MANAGEMENT UNDER ISO 9001:2015

    Everything we do revolves around customer benefit and continuous process improvement. Our task as a consulting firm and specialist in optimising workflows in product development is to integrate all of the relevant standards of best practice into the specific processes used by each customer. And because our own business practices are a crucial element in this, we also apply the same high standards to our own processes – because ultimately, we want to provide you with superior solutions.

    With us, you’ll find it a lot easier. Our service commitment is a function of the high standards we set for ourselves. We also strive for these high standards in our own business processes. This is because – just like our exceptional know-how and our many years of experience in industry – our quality management system is a crucial ingredient of business excellence.

    SYSTEMATIC IMPROVEMENT

    This approach has been recognised by the TÜV Nord technical inspectorate through its certification under DIN EN ISO 9001:2015. “Continuous improvement is firmly anchored in the company and our consultants are always sensitised to this issue,” says Joachim Albertz, quality management officer and a senior consultant at the company. “Many of the findings that came from our re-certification trickle down into the projects our consultants are involved in with customers.”

    Kugler Maag Cie first invited TÜV Nord to assess its quality management system in 2006, when its processes were approved and certified by the neutral inspectors of TÜV NORD CERT. It was most recently re-certified in July 2021.

    QUALITY RUNS THROUGH OUR VEINS

    We gauge our work and performance every day based on the same strict standards, which are not only derived from our quality management system but also go back to our code of conduct. If you have any questions about our quality management system, feel free to contact me directly.

    Rocio Rojas Quality Management

    INFORMATION SECURITY

    INFORMATION SECURITY MANAGEMENT UNDER ISO 27001:2013

    As a customer of Kugler Maag Cie, certification from the TÜV Nord technical inspectorate guarantees optimal security, also minimising time and effort. This third-party seal of approval makes a variety of things easier for you in the future. No more need to conduct elaborate security checks before embarking on joint projects. “Our customers are particularly sensitive about topics like data processing – and understandably so: lots of development projects are confidential. That’s why we decided to pull on all levers and offer optimum information security. The TÜV audit now gives us signed and sealed certification – and we’re proud of it,” says Dr Thomas Liedtke, the appointed data protection and information security officer at Kugler Maag Cie.

    NINE MONTHS TO GAIN CERTIFICATION

    The certification process started in early 2019 and lasted nine months in total. After conducting a gap analysis, we pinpointed the areas that still needed work to gain approvals. A series of internal readiness checks then paved the way for a trial audit in July. For the final audit in September, the TÜV checked the instruments that had been introduced to secure information assets. As well as assessing how individual processes are documented, this also involved examining physical infrastructures at the company. The TÜV also conducted lengthy interviews on all key processes at the company involving human input.

    WHAT IS ISO 27001?

    ISO/IEC 27001 is a generally recognised international standard for introducing systems for managing information securely within organisations.

    It outlines requirements for

    • Setting up
    • Implementing
    • Maintaining
    • Continuously improving a documented safety system

    This standard also defines how any threats to the security of information should be assessed and dealt with.

    Always on the safe side

    As an Information Security and Privacy Officer, I am your contact if you want to know how we handle your personal data or how we protect your information.

    How to reach me

    Arnd Harnischmacher
    c/o DH+P Company for Management Consulting GmbH
    Reichertweg 10
    63069 Offenbach am Main          

    +49 151 236 88351

    Arnd Harnischmacher Data Protection and Information Security

    TrustArc

    TISAX for information with high protection needs

    In the automotive industry, the TISAX® label stands for the protection of information with a high need for protection. Kugler Maag Cie meets these rigorous requirements.

    TISAX® stands for Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange. In an intensive audit, TÜV Nord certified that Kugler Maag Cie's protection schemes meet the security standard to which we aspire. This was achieved because Kugler Maag Cie follows precautions and procedures that ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information with a high need for protection, as required by the catalog of requirements of the German Automotive Industry Association (VDA).

    As a consultancy that supports development departments with good practice, compliance with industry standards such as TISAX®, ISO ISO/IEC 27001:2013, ISO 9001 or accreditation as an inspection body for functional safety assessments is a matter of course.

    Transparency International

    As a member of Transparency International, the international NGO that actively combats corruption, we have introduced strict compliance standards.

    transparency.de

    Inspection body for functional safety assessments

    Kugler Maag Cie is accredited as an C-type inspection body by the German National Accreditation Body (DAkkS). With this accreditation, we conduct the functional safety assessments according to ISO 26262. As part of this, we check whether functional safety has actually been achieved. We inspect and evaluate the required evidence of activities to achieve functional safety. This assessment can take place at various stages of the safety lifecycle and then covers the activities completed and in progress up to that point. The FSA incorporates the results of the safety management system audit. 

    Due to the formal accrediation process according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17020:2012, Kugler Maag Cie was able to proof its competence to perform inspections in the following areas of automotive functional safety:

    • systems,
    • components,
    • hardware and
    • software

    For this purpose, Kugler Maag Cie is accredited under the number D-IS-21267-01.

    Our independence gives you trust in your functional safety activities. 

    We ourselves had to prove in a multi-stage process that we have the necessary competence and independence in order to be approved as an inspection body. For this purpose, our management system was audited to ensure that we are in a position to produce globally comparable functional safety assessments. The DAkkS checks at regular intervals whether the requirements for approval continue to be met. 

    More on DAkkS

    We're here for you

    Need support with a key project? We’re your first port of call when it comes to management consulting and improvement programmes in electronics development.

    Steffen Herrmann and the sales team

    SQIL (VW)

    Volkswagen considers the continuous improvement of software standards a high priority, including for its suppliers. In 2018, it laid down an ambitious group strategy, which included the goal to deploy intelligent innovations and technologies to become a world leader in customer satisfaction and quality. Kugler Maag Cie supports the Wolfsburg-based manufacturer in setting up and expanding the software know-how of the VW supplier network.

    SOFTWARE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT LEADER – SQIL, A NEW ROLE

    Kugler Maag Cie was appointed by VW to support its suppliers in optimising their business processes, primarily due to its long track record and experience in the industry. Accordingly, Kugler Maag Cie’s process experts were introduced to the VW scheme as part of an intensive training programme. Having successfully completed the VW exams, our experts are now fully qualified as Volkswagen-certified Software Quality Improvement Leaders (SQILs).

    THE AREAS COVERED BY SQIL TRAINING

    • The training to become a SQIL expert is based closely on VW’s requirements for software quality, corresponding development processes,
    • technology skills relating to all levels of the V-Model project management methodology and project management.

    The VW qualification scheme ensures that SQILs are equipped with the right knowledge to demonstrate to suppliers how they can adhere to VW quality standards. When working on a project, SQILs work on behalf of the suppliers and not VW. They also ensure that progress can be monitored using KPIs. This plays an important role in establishing the required relationship of trust. For example, a SQIL is not permitted to share any information about a product with VW.

    The SQILs at Kugler Maag Cie are leading process specialists with a wealth of competence in integrating industry standards such as Automotive SPICE®, FUNCTIONAL SAFETY (ISO 26262) and AGILE METHODS. As well as earning their reputation through multiple successful improvement programmes, they have also made a name for themselves through their work with industry committees, as authors and as trainers. One of the goals of Kugler Maag Cie is to foster improvements to the business processes applied to product development. As a result, VW often recommends our process specialists to other manufacturers and consulting firms.

    MORE ON INTEGRATED PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS