MasterCard International (contact and contactless smart card)
MasterCard International is one of the world's leading global payments solutions companies and manages payment cards brands that include MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®. The MasterCard PayPass�, contactless payment solution, offers consumers a fast and convenient way to pay for small purchases.
MasterCard asked Silicomp to assess its M/Chip banking cards, to ensure they complied with their strict international specifications. Silicomp created a process for card protocol communication testing, interoperability testing and field return analysis in their test centre in Caen, France. Silicomp also performed a consultancy study to establish accreditation procedures for MasterCard testing laboratories.
Hong Kong Government (identity cards, contact smart cards)
To guarantee the conformity of their new smart ID card project, the Hong Kong SAR Government's Immigration Department asked Silicomp to test the territory's chip-based identity card system, known as the Smart Identity Card System (SMARTICS). Silicomp performed compliance testing on the ID cards to make sure that each of the 1.2 million ID cards entering circulation would meet the Government's defined specifications.
Silicomp assisted the Government in the implementation of the new cards. They also performed a conformity assessment and a 10-year durability assessment test by batch sequence. The stability of the ID card was verified using samples taken during production, with tests being performed to assess and define both their quality and statistical criteria.
Silicomp's testing proved that the SMARTICS project would provide cards with proven product durability and guaranteed product security.
Renault - Sales Direction (car manufacturer) with more than 300 agents
The Renault Car Company engaged Silicomp to manage the implementation of a Quality System Management project that complied with the ISO 9001 standard. Silicomp managed the certification process for the whole network in two steps. At a company-wide level, Silicomp worked with Renault's Quality department (PMO) to manage the integration of the ISO 9001 standards and performed workshops to train the car company's staff on how the ISO standard was used. Silicomp also worked to manage resource allocation, certification follow-up, as well as work on feature and failure processing mechanisms. At a tactical level, checkpoints and timelines were established to ensure the project was completed on-time and on-budget, while Silicomp also worked to define resources (both human and material), as well as scheduling and follow-up during the rollout.
The result for Renault was the creation and implementation of a Quality Management System that met the requirements of the Renault car dealer network, with the introduction of a quality manual, quality forms and quality performance dashboards. The project increased both employee participation and collaboration within a Quality System Management framework, while Renault's multinational network of outlets benefited from a unified quality management approach that met with corporate quality strategy. Silicomp's consulting created competitive added value and a solid return on investment for the car manufacturer, while providing complete transparency on the risks of conflict of interest.
EADS - ITS
EADS Information, Technologies & Services is a French leader in the management of information services, infrastructures, security and telecommunications. The company employed Silicomp to project manage the reorganisation of their Quality Management System.
Silicomp worked to identify the project framework and diagnose the problems that were being caused by EADS ITS' existing Quality Management System. Working with the Quality Department Manager, Silicomp developed the project schedule and task timeline and established all follow-up indicators. The team also worked on the management of failure and decision-making analyses across the group.
Silicomp's project enabled EADS to dramatically improve their internal processes and quality assurance management systems. Overall customer satisfaction was improved, while EADS' customer delivery times reduced � all a result of the improvement in quality management, and the reduction in internal processes and work flows that Silicomp developed.
