Kenneth Zabel began his career in quality management working for global product certification agencies. After working for NSF International for ten years, he managed certification programs at ETL Semko (Intertek) and CSA International (Canadian Standards Association). Ken has trained certification engineers and auditors across North America and in the U.K., Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, China, and South Korea. He has conducted workshops in Dubai for governmental administrators from Saudi Arabia on the benefits of, and how to implement programs compliant with ISO 9001:2015.
Ken’s SMETA and social compliance auditing began in 2017 for Asia Inspection (today QIMA). As a contractor, he has also conducted audits for ELEVATE, SGS North America, Intertek, Bureau Veritas, and UL-STR (Underwriter’s Laboratories).
"Six Thinking Hats" is a way of approaching and investigating an issue, change, or process from a variety of perspectives in a clear, conflict-free way. This can be done by an individual, by team members each wearing a different hat(s), or by a group ‘wearing the same hat’ in a sequential order. Large complex issues can also be set up with six separate teams meeting with representatives from each meeting to assess all perspectives.
With over 30,000 members worldwide, the SEDEX community provides companies with the assurance that their partner meets the best practice requirements of the SMETA catalog in terms of sustainability in the supply chain.
5S began as part of the Toyota Production System (TPS), the manufacturing method begun by leaders at the Toyota Motor Company in the early and mid-20th century. This system, often referred to as Lean Manufacturing in the West, aims to increase the value of products or services for customers.
AIAG aims to achieve excellence, innovation, transparency, and performance in a sustainable manner. People and the environment are the automotive industry’s most essential resources.