QED Consulting Group was founded in 1994 by Dr. Judith E. Luchsinger. One of its original purposes was to bring the international quality management standard ISO 9001 to agencies and businesses that were unfamiliar with quality and other management systems and the business improvement and accountability they can bring.

Living in the northern California wine country and enjoying all things wine, Dr. Luchsinger was hired by Brown-Forman Corporation to implement ISO 9001:1994 at the Fetzer Vineyard site, including the Design and Development of new products. This first success in the wine industry, led to the implementation of the quality management system standard, and other standards, in many wineries from California to New York, from the largest wine production facility in the world (Mission Bell) to a boutique winery (Blackstone Sonoma). Thus, wineries have become a specialty of hers. (Please see our Portfolio)

As the company has expanded, colleagues have brought in additional skills and experience. (See biographical information). We now offer consulting services for any kind or size of business in a variety of international and national standards, audit training, process improvement, lean manufacturing and Six Sigma.

ISO 9001	quality management system standard
ISO 14001:2004	environmental system standard
TL 9001	quality management system standard for telecommunications
ISO 22000:2005	food safety management system that combines ISO 9001 and HACCP
ISO 18001:2004	health and safety standard
ISO 17025:2005	general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
AS 9100	quality management systems - with requirements for aviation, space and defense organizations
TS 16949	quality management systems – particular requirements for the application of ISO 9001 for automotive production and relevant service part
HACCP	Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points standard for food and beverage companies
BRC	British Retail Consortium standard

by Cathy Fisher

International pressure and good business sense prompt more wine companies to show evidence of their quality management systems. Interest in becoming ISO-certified continues to grow among wine businesses of all sizes. Governed by the International Organization for Standardization, ISO standards serve to level the business playing field in regard to the quality and efficiency of products and sercives as well as managerial and organizational practices. As new business sectors emerge, ISO standards also help to clarify the requirements that allow world markets to effectively and equally compete. Click here to read the entire article.