TY - JOUR A1 - Mirtsch, Mona A1 - Koch, Claudia A1 - Asna Ashari, Parsa A1 - Blind, K. A1 - Castka, P. T1 - Quality assurance in supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic: Empirical evidence on organisational resilience of conformity assessment bodies JF - Total quality management & business excellence N2 - Global supply chains rely on the compliance and safety of their products, processes, and facilities. These vital services (often referred to as ‘quality assurance’ or ‘conformity assessment’ services) are provided by Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs). This empirical study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CABs as well as their response to the resulting challenges. Data was gathered through an online survey among all accredited CABs in Germany, which resulted in 555 valid responses. Taking a resilience perspective, we reveal that CABs were hit hard by the disruptions caused by the pandemic, albeit to different degrees, in part due to their type of services, size, and sectors served. Furthermore, we find that contingency plans do not directly cushion order declines (as the main indicator of the economic impact of the pandemic) but rather indirectly through helping CABs respond more quickly, which in turn mitigates their order declines. However, our results show that contingency plans can also have adverse effects if they hinder flexible reaction to the crisis. The findings of our study help managers and policymakers learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and improve the resilience of the conformity assessment sector and quality assurance in the event of future crises. KW - Quality Infrastructure KW - Digitalization KW - Testing laboratories KW - Organizational resilience KW - COVID-19 KW - Conformity assessment PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/14783363.2022.2078189 SP - 1 EP - 23 PB - Taylor & Francis AN - OPUS4-55066 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Koch, Claudia A1 - Niederhausen, J. T1 - Vision einer modernen Qualitätsinfrastruktur: digital und vernetzt N2 - „Made in Germany“ steht für Vertrauen in Qualität und Sicherheit, das auch in der digitalen und grünen Transformation gelten soll.  In einer zunehmend digitalisierten Welt muss auch die Qualitätssicherung von Produkten, Prozessen und Dienstleistungen neu gedacht werden. Ziel der Initiative QI-Digital ist es, Lösungen für eine moderne, digitale Qualitätsinfrastruktur (QI) zu schaffen. Im Vortrag wird die Vision einer QI-Digital skizziert, und es werden die nötigen Werkzeuge sowie das Vorgehen der Initiative mithilfe dreier Pilotprojekte dargestellt. T2 - QI-Digital Forum „Made in Germany in der digitalen und grünen Transformation“ CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 11.10.2022 KW - Qualitätsinfrastruktur KW - Digitalisierung KW - Wasserstofftankstelle KW - Additive Fertigung KW - Smart Standard KW - QI-Cloud KW - Zertifikat KW - Prüfung PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56185 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Koch, Claudia T1 - Digitalisierung in der Konformitätsbewertung - Einblicke aus unserer internationalen QI-FoKuS-Studie N2 - Die Präsentation enthält Informationen zur internationalen Studie der BAM zum Thema Digitalisierung in der Konformitätsbewertung, insbesondere erste Ergebnisse aus Deutschland. Sie zeigt u.a. die digitale Reife der teilnehmenden Prüflaboratorien und Zertifizierungsstellen sowie technologische Trends. T2 - 25. Kolloquium von EUROLAB-D CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 11.05.2022 KW - Qualitätsinfrastruktur KW - Digitalisierung KW - Prüflaboratorien KW - Konformitätsbewertung KW - Prüfwesen PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-54814 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Koch, Claudia T1 - Vertrauen in Qualität und Sicherheit in der Digitalisierung - Eine digital gestützte Qualitätssicherung für die additive Fertigung N2 - Der Vortrag stellt die Initiative QI-Digital vor, deren Ziel es ist, Lösungen für eine moderne, digitale Qualitätsinfrastruktur (QI) zu entwickeln. Dabei wird insbesondere auf den das praxisnahe Pilotprojekt der Qualitätssicherung in der additiven Fertigung eingegangen und aufgezeigt, wie digitale QI-Werkzeuge wie Smart Standards, digitale Zertifikate und Kalibrierscheine, eine QI-Cloud und der digitale Produktpass zu einer vernetzten und vertrauenswürdigen Qualitätssicherung beitragen. T2 - Leichtbau-Workshop Digitalisierung „Digitalisierung, Motor für nachhaltigen Leichtbau – Leichtbau, Motor für die Digitalisierung!“ CY - Online meeting DA - 24.11.2022 KW - Qualitätsinfrastruktur KW - Digitalisierung KW - Kalibrierung KW - Konformitätsbewertung KW - Prüfung KW - digitale Transformation KW - Additive Fertigung PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56384 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Denkler, Tilman T1 - Comparison of the Operation of Accreditation Bodies in Europe - Final Report 2nd Round N2 - In 2019 the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (BAM) conducted a benchmarking to compare the operations of European accreditation bodies and to identify best practices, with the aim of improving key processes in accreditation. Ten European accreditation bodies attended the comparison, four of which had already taken part in the pilot phase of the benchmarking project, which was conducted in 2017 by the German accreditation body Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAkkS) and BAM. The study, designed to examine and compare the operation of accreditation bodies in Europe, used a management tool called Process Maturity Benchmarking Tool, which was especially elaborated and validated for this purpose in the pilot phase, in order to determine the values of indicators, thus enabling a comparison of the accreditation bodies despite different operational processes and organizational forms. The management tool is based on the analysis of selected processes with high relevance for the operation of accreditation bodies. The processes are derived from a process map designed for accreditation bodies in a universally applicable way. The indicators used to characterize the processes come from two sources: The first source relates to data already available from internal databases, reports, financial audits, and others. The second source is derived from the self-evaluation of process maturity performed by the accreditation bodies. The criteria for evaluating process maturities were designed by applying the criteria of the EFQM excellence model 2013 of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) to the processes identified in the process map. The results of the analysis were presented to and discussed with representatives of the ten accreditation bodies at a Results-Workshop that took place at BAM on 21/22 January 2020. KW - Akkreditierung KW - Accreditation KW - Benchmarking KW - EFQM Excellence Modell KW - Quality Infrastructure KW - Total Quality Management PY - 2020 SP - 1 EP - 70 AN - OPUS4-54712 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Blind, K. A1 - Krüger, M. A1 - Kinne, J. A1 - Mirtsch, Mona ED - Jacobs, K. T1 - Organisation Innovation in the Digital Layer: Exploring the Adoption of the Management System Standard ISO/IEC 27001 T2 - Joint Proceedings EURAS 2021 - Standardisation and Innovation SIIT 2021 The Past, Present and Future of ICT Standardisation N2 - Despite the increasing relevance of cybersecurity for companies’ performance, there is limited research on the adoption of ISO/IEC 27001, an international information security management standard. The aim of our study is to expand this limited body of literature. First, we analyse the influence of companies’ networks on the adoption of ISO/IEC 27001 as an organisational innovation based on firm website data and their hyperlinks, using the entire population of ISO/IEC 27001 certified firms identified via web mining. Second, we validate the method of constructing and analysing companies’ “digital layer” following the call for new methodological approaches to study the organisational adoption of innovations. Our findings reveal that companies' decision to adopt ISO/IEC 27001 increases significantly with their number of linkages to other companies and to those having the same certificate. Finally, their cognitive and organisational distances to linked partners have the expected inverted u-shaped influence on their own adoption decision. T2 - 11th International Conference on Standardisation and Innovation in Information Technology (SIIT 2021) CY - Aachen, Germany DA - 06.09.2021 KW - Information Security KW - Hyperlinks KW - Management system standard KW - Digital Layer PY - 2021 SN - 978-3-95886-421-4 SP - 95 PB - Verlagshaus Mainz GmbH Aachen CY - Mainz AN - OPUS4-54411 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Koch, Claudia A1 - Asna Ashari, Parsa A1 - Mirtsch, Mona A1 - Blind, K. A1 - Castka, P. ED - Jakobs, K. T1 - Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Conformity Assessment: Insights from a Multinational Study T2 - Joint Proceedings EURAS 2021 - Standardisation and Innovation SIIT 2021 The Past, Present and Future of ICT Standardisation N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic has posed new and manifold challenges to organizations and their operations worldwide. Conformity assessment bodies (CABs), such as testing or medical laboratories, certification, and inspection bodies, are also affected by the associated disruptions. Their situation in this crisis is highly relevant, as CABs are essential pillars of the quality infrastructure: Their activities ensure that products and services meet requirements as defined in standards and regulations, thereby contributing to their safety and reliability. Considering the roles and functions of CABs in economy, health, and innovation, the question arises how CABs and their operations were affected by the pandemic and how they responded. To this end, we present the results of an international survey of 986 CABs of all types in Germany, the UK, Italy, and New Zealand. Overall, CABs reported on average a negative development of demand during the pandemic, facing restrictions in all countries. In addition, the pandemic had overall negative impact on the CABs’ investment and innovation activities. However, investments in digital infrastructure were increased as countermeasure, with CABs reporting an increased need for digitalization. Resources relevant to organizational resilience were available to different extents, affecting the speed of response to the challenges of the pandemic. The paper highlights and discusses results from in-depth analyses, which are relevant for policy makers and industry alike. T2 - 25th EURAS Annual Standardisation Conference – Standardisation and Innovation CY - Aachen, Germany DA - 05.09.2021 KW - COVID-19 KW - Corona KW - Crisis KW - Digitalization KW - Laboratory KW - Pandemic KW - Quality infrastructure KW - Conformity assessment KW - Resilience PY - 2021 SN - 978-3-95886-421-4 SP - 379 EP - 398 PB - Verlag Mainz AN - OPUS4-53815 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Koch, Claudia T1 - QI-DIGITAL - Eine moderne Qualitätsinfrastruktur in Zeiten zunehmender Digitalisierung N2 - QI-Digital ist eine Initiative der BAM gemeinsam mit den zentralen Akteuren der Qualitätsinfrastruktur (QI) in Deutschland. Sie zielt darauf ab, gemeinsam Lösungen für eine moderne QI vor dem Hintergrund der zunehmenden Digitalisierung zu entwickeln. Im Vortrag wird ein Überblick zu den Zielen und Maßnahmen im Projekt gegeben, insbesondere hinsichtlich der beiden BAM-Use Cases „Additive Fertigung“ und „Sichere und verlässliche Wasserstofftankstelle“ sowie der QI-Cloud, die ein wesentlicher Baustein für das strukturelle Fundament einer QI-Digital darstellt. T2 - Fraunhofer Materials - 7. Verbundinterner Workshop »MDS - Materials Data Space®« CY - Online meeting DA - 26.01.2022 KW - Qualitätsinfrastruktur KW - Digitalisierung KW - Wasserstofftankstelle KW - Additive Fertigung KW - QI-Cloud PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-54307 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Denkler, Tilman T1 - Accreditation in Europe: Benchmarking the operations of European accreditation bodies using an innovative management tool JF - Accreditation and Quality Assurance N2 - Accreditation is one of the pillars of a national Quality Infrastructure, as the competence of conformity assessment bodies is assured through accreditation performed by accreditation bodies. To compare the operation of accreditation bodies in Europe and to identify best practices, a management tool, the Process Maturity Benchmarking Tool, was developed and validated by applying it to European accreditation bodies. The benchmarking project comprised two major phases: In the first phase, the processes of accreditation bodies were systematically analyzed. A process map was developed, and processes of special relevance were identified and underpinned by indicators. In the second phase, the practical applicability of the theoretical model was demonstrated by analyzing the processes of eight European accreditation bodies. The results of this comparative assessment were subsequently discussed in a workshop with experts from those accreditation bodies, giving the opportunity to identify best practices. This article has a twofold objective. First, to present a method to benchmark European accreditation bodies, based on the European Foundation for Quality Management excellence model. The successful application of the Process Maturity Benchmarking Tool gives evidence that it is a suitable and capable management tool to assess the processes of the European accreditation bodies and to benchmark them. Second, the article presents the results of the first adaption of the Process Maturity Benchmarking Tool. A general trend of process maturity was identified: While processes based on stakeholder involvement tend to have an overall lower maturity on average, internal processes are more mature. KW - Accreditation KW - Benchmarking KW - Quality Infrastructure KW - EFQM Excellence Modell KW - Total Quality Management KW - Akkreditierung PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-521706 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00769-021-01459-7 VL - 26 IS - 1 SP - 47 EP - 57 PB - Springer Nature CY - Jersey City, NJ 07302, USA AN - OPUS4-52170 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Denkler, Tilman T1 - Comparison of the Operation of Accreditation Bodies in Europe - Final Report Pilot Phase N2 - This study was designed to examine and compare the operation of accreditation bodies in Europe. A management tool, the Process Maturity Benchmarking Tool (PMBT), was elaborated and validated by applying it to various accreditation bodies. By applying the tool, the values of indicators were determined, thus enabling a comparison of the accreditation bodies despite different operational processes and organizational forms. The management tool PMBT is based on the analysis of selected processes with high relevance for the operation of accreditation bodies. The processes are derived from a process map designed for accreditation bodies in a universally applicable way. The indicators used to characterize the processes come from two sources: The first source relates to data already available from internal databases, reports, financial audits etc. The second source is derived from a self-evaluation of process maturity performed by the accreditation bodies. The criteria for evaluating process maturity were designed by applying the criteria of the EFQM excellence model 2013 of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) to the processes identified in the process map. The project Comparison of the Operation of Accreditation Bodies in Europe comprised three stages. In the first stage, the processes of accreditation bodies were systematically analyzed. A process map was developed and processes of special relevance for the performance of accreditation bodies were identified and underpinned by indicators as described above. In the second stage, the processes of the German accreditation body DAkkS were assigned to the tool. This stage was used to check and modify the indicators when necessary. In the third stage, the transferability of the model was analyzed by extension to seven other accreditation bodies operating in Europe. The third stage of the project ended with a workshop attended by the eight accreditation bodies, which was used to present and discuss the results of the comparison and to identify best practices. KW - Accreditation KW - Benchmarking KW - Quality Infrastructure KW - EFQM Excellence Modell KW - Total Quality Management KW - Akkreditierung PY - 2019 SP - 1 EP - 82 AN - OPUS4-52172 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -