As a consequence of moving back the mounting of complete wheels, the tyre and rim wholesaler was able to bring the quality certification according to ISO 9001:2015 to an end. TÜV Rheinland, the certification company, confirmed that distribution, mounting and dispatch of complete wheels at the location “Am Storrenacker 30“ in Karlsruhe fulfilled all the corresponding requirements. The people responsible at Interpneu confirmed that they aimed at increasing customer satisfaction and interest in their offer with this step. During this year’s winter season, the system proved its worth in practice.
For 20 years, Interpneu has been offering its services for complete wheels. A constantly growing order volume has not only demanded professionalizing production but also an expansion of quality control. During the moving activities, all the relevant processes for the ISO certification were registered under stricter criteria and optimized at the 14 assembly lines for complete wheels according to the latest quality requirements.
Increase in inspection rate
The wholesale tyre giant reports the following: “There are different areas, where already before mounting the correctness and plausibility of all the involved components, which consist of tyres, rims, sensors and valves, is checked. The mounting process itself is documented by a process description, which also enables backtracking complete wheels.” Before packing for transport, an additional testing of samples is carried out during ongoing production. The internal quality testing station is now directly included, which allows an increase in inspection rate. “According to company information, based on a quality check list particularly trained employees check apart from material quality also some details like for example the right configuration of sensors and the correctly applied torque of the valve nut when mounting.”
Francisco Avila, quality management officer, was responsible for the introduction and implementation of the certification at Interpneu. “We are aiming at an increase in customer trust in our products and mounting services because of the ISO certification. Dealers and workshops ordering complete wheels from us expect us to be responsible for this process to save time. Moreover, customers have to be able to rely on us supplying them with faultless goods.” The management of Interpneu confirms further investments in processes of quality assurance.
Since its foundation in Karlsruhe in 1970, Interpneu has developed into one of the leading European tyre and rim wholesalers under the umbrella of the Pneuhage company group. Central storing and logistics centres in Speyer and Karlsruhe are at the centre of the service concept with a storage capacity of more than 1.3 million tyres and 300,000 light metal rims. Skilled workers produce individual tyre and wheel combinations with up to 26 inches when mounting complete wheels.