The HP Way

Enduring Values through Changing Times

Whilst the whole world knows that HP stands for Hewlett Packard it could just as well stand for Highly Professional for that is certainly the immediate impression created by a visit to HP at South Queensferry (just below the Forth Bridge) as Dave Fynn and myself had the recent pleasure of doing. And you are most definitely left with the impression. it pays to buy the best.

The HP way certainly sets an example that others could do well to follow, no doubt there will be some that say; yes but HP can afford it. The answer to that being, it is because of their philosophy that they can afford it.

So what is the HP way. It began in the very early years of HP Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, two Stanford engineers, combined their product ideas and unique management style, and formed a working partnership.

After many successful products and amidst a rapidly expanding organisation, they met in 1957 with their key managers to formalise a set of Corporate Objectives. These objectives, along with underlying corporate values that shape how the objectives would be met, remain as the foundation for something special - the HP Way of doing business summarised in a quotation by Bill Hewlett in 1982:

"What is the HP Way? I feel that in general terms it is the policies and actions that flow from the belief that men and women want to do a good job, a creative job, and that if they are provided the proper environment they will do so."

Certainly the proliferation of regulations throughout Europe and the rest of the world put the philosophy and culture to the test.

How does it work?

By developing a regulations programme that directly supports all aspects of the culture, objectives for customers, views regulations as a market benefit all achieved by investing in a large management infrastructure as indicated in slides 1 and 2.

Slide 1

Slide 2

At South Queensferry the Product Regulatory Team is responsible for the full implication of the EMC, LVD and Product Safety regulations through a product's life cycle. This necessitates becoming involved at a very early stage in the Product Design process. All product testing is carried out in-house; Pre-compliance, Compliance Testing and the generation of Technical Documentation, with occasional outside assistance when resources are overloaded. Needless to say the myriad of changes to regulations causes its own problems and to cope HP has implemented a production change control process which reviews all changes to regulatory compliance and redefines processes as required. All product enhancements are treated as new products. Regulation and Standards' changes are managed throughout the product's lifetime. All regulatory documentation is archived for a least 10 years after a product has been removed from production.

Standards Management

T&M products tend to have a lifetime which exceeds the standards to which it is certified. Products are, therefore, only revaluated to the requirements of a new standard where there is a legal requirement to do so or by customer demand. Changing Standards do not make a safe or EMC compliant product less so. Standards do not necessarily ensure safe or EMC robust products. Both safety and EMC must be designed into a product.

EMC and LVD

HP have a long history of designing products and accounting for EMC has always been a fundamental part of the design. In addition they have representatives on all relevant committees who can constantly monitor relevant changes. Whereas products were originally qualified using the standard route, this is not now so. The TCF route is preferred. This was brought about by the requirements of standards not necessarily being in line with the real world EMC needs, on which the original designs were based. There is, of course, no conflict with the production requirements of the Directives. The introduction of the LVD to the New Approach format caused an excess of administrative action mainly to create the necessary "technical documentation" none of which was needed to improve the performance or safety of the equipment. The proliferation of regulations has caused HP to offer interesting comments and views for discussion and consideration.

Growth of Regulations

The illustration clearly indicates a proliferation in regulatory requirements. The increased value is questionable so how do you optimise the value of products to ensure all round benefit.

A Global Opportunity
Based on 3 concepts.
For Electronic products regulations¹ of Safety and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI):

One Standard
One Test, Supplier's Declaration of Conformity²
A Visionary Model for Implementation
¹Other regulated sectors such as Telecom support 'one suite' of internationally-recognised standards.
²Supplier's declaration of conformity as an regulatory option to the third-party certification option.

The 'One Standard-One Test, SDoC' Model offers improved customer and citizen value.

Speeds up products-to-market;

Reduces redundant costs for customers and resources for governments;

Maintains protection for public health and safety.

Call to Action

Regulators

For Product Safety and EMI, each government, in co-operation:

Matches regulations to the global model of 'One Standard-One Test, Supplier's Declaration of Conformity'.
Use internationally accepted standards from ISO and IEC. Work to eliminate local and national deviations and unique requirements.
Provide for one-time testing of a given product by either the supplier or third-party test facility conforming to ISO/IEC Guide 25, without restriction on location.
Allow for Supplier's Declaration of Conformity option.
Communicates administrative requirements for testing and SDoC.
Example, publicly available documents, Web, publications, seminars, etc.
Establishes the appropriate market surveillance system to assure protection for health and safety.
Example, audits SDoC elements and compliance folder, investigates complaints, cites penalties of violators, and public registry of violators.

Industry

For Product Safety and EMI, industry takes the lead to:

Develop ISO/IEC standards and guides on 'how' to implement 'One Standard-One Test, SDoC'.
Guidance on how governments should reference internationally-accepted standards.
Standard on what are the requirements and content of a Compliance Folder and a Declaration of Conformity.
Guidance on market surveillance methods that a government should consider.
Conform to administrative and international requirements for testing and SDoC.
ISO/IEC Guide 22, 25 and 'to be developed' international and administrative requirements.
Self-regulate to assure protection for health and safety.
Timely response to known violations
Provide improvements to internationally-accepted standards and SDoC requirements.

Could the HP way set the trend for both regulators and industry across the world? Certainly the experience that HP have of managing 28,000 products across 55 countries all with specific regulations, places them in an ideal position to know what's best for the customer.

Alan E Hutley, Editor

The visit to HP by myself and Dave Fynn, was even more interesting as we have both spent over ten years with Tektronix whose slogan at that time was "committed to excellence", a department in which HP are certainly not lacking. We would like to thank, Brian Dougal, EMC Product Line Manager, EMC Marketing Organisation; Colin McGeehan, Product Regulations Specialist; David J Morrison, Processes & Regulations Manager; Bill Pike, Systems Engineering Manager; Robert Tait, Product Regulations Specialist; Geoff Thow, General Manager, Telecomms Networks Test Division, who made our visit extremely interesting and for supplying the information contained in this article.

In a future issue of the UK EMC Journal, Dave Fynn will be featuring HP's EMC Spectrum Analysers and EMC software.

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