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AVX is a recognized leader in the international passive electronic component and interconnect products industry. The company designs, manufactures and supplies a broad range of components to the global electronic marketplace. It benefits from global manufacturing and distribution provided by 27 manufacturing facilities in 12 countries, and has research and development centres in the United States, Northern Ireland, England, France and Israel.

While telecommunications is currently AVX's largest market, breakthroughs in consumer electronics (the Play Station II, MP3 Players, digital cameras and TVs, and recordable DVDs) have provided increased demand in this area. AVX advanced components are also part of the cutting edge in medical research. In the field, the company's components are used to advance the development of devices such as, hearing aids using cochlea implants, pacemakers and neuro-stimulating implants for quadriplegics, Parkinson's disease and diabetes sufferers.

A company with this kind of high profile needed a certification body that could provide a wide variety of services that spanned the globe. AVX's Rich Bonnet explains why the company chose BSI to cover its global registrations to ISO 9000, QS 9000, QV 2000, ISO 14001, CECC approvals and CE marking.

"BSI's interest in being part of my "ALL NEW and DIFFERENT" Corporate Certification Programme was a real indication that BSI wants to play its part in being one of the world leaders in changing and improving the quality of the "Quality Standards" on a global basis," he says. "In other words, it wants to be a leader and not a follower."

That's not to say that there weren't some problems in the initial stages of the relationship - carrying out this many approvals is bound to create some teething troubles. Rich Bonnet explains that the certification programme hasn't always run completely to plan. He says, "We have had some problems with our expectations in terms of timescales, and with communication from both BSI and AVX. However, in all fairness to BSI, they have been changing and reorganising to fix these problems."

With six different types of certification under his belt for AVX, Rich Bonnet is now in no doubt about the benefits of working with BSI. In fact, he can list them: "By far the biggest benefits to AVX are:

• Uniformity of audits - world-wide
• Stabilising the quality system - world-wide
• The expertise within BSI is accessible to AVX
• Everyone is a professional in his or her own area and is willing to share information.
• Customers know BSI, and are comfortable with its credibility.
• Also, the cost factor."

Several of the top 10 industries are monitoring the AVX/BSI Corporate Certification Programme with a view to using it as a benchmark, which is a unique situation. Rich Bonnet believes that this is a result of "BSI's flexibility and ability to adapt to my very, very special needs and the fact that they are an international group that meets our international reguirements."