ISO 9000 is the offspring of the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO). Based in Geneva, Switzerland, it is virtually a consortium of the world's industrialised nations. Briefly put, while it is neither new or radical, it is nevertheless imperative as it specifies the guidelines for implementing and maintaining a quality system within the organisations -- be it service or the end product.

The ISO 9000 series of standards was first published in 1986, and is the most talked about concept today. The raison d'etre was the European community's directive to stop trading with exporters who don't have a well documented quality system. Although the series shares commonalities with other quality schemes such as MIL-Q and the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, the maindifference here is that, with the ISO, firms can register for the certification.

The series consists of three basic standards. While ISO 9002 applies to organisations which don't design any products but are nonetheless engaged in production and installation. ISO 9001 is for those who are merely involved in testing and final installation. However, ISO 9001 incorporates the features pertaining to 9002 and 9003, plus two additional clauses involving design and development of products and hence, getting this certificate is the most difficult.

Although after a rather slow start, India today has more than 400 companies with the ISO 9000 certification, MCEME is the first training establishment within the country to be thus recognised. To understand what it is all about, one will have to go back in time a bit -- to when the aftermath of World War II witnesses an explosion of technology and equipment. In our country, it led to the creation of a single organisation, which would be entrusted with maintaining theoperational readiness of the entire Indian army. Thus was born the Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (CEME) on October 15, 1945 with its alma mater as MCEME initially based at Kirkae near Poona and later shifted to Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh in 1955.

The college comprises four faculties -- Electrical and Mechanical Engineering; Industrial Engineering and Tactics; Aeronautical Engineering, and Faculty of Electronics, besides a Simulator Development Division. MCEME churns out graduates and postgraduate engineers of both sexes in the electrical and mechanical streams as well as other technicians. On an average 500 officers and 3,500 JCOs are trained here annually. This includes members of friendly foreign countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Kenya and Zambia, etc. Besides advance training in computers, missiles, radars, aeronautical engineering and communication systems, training is provides in Time and Personnel Management. While the engineering degrees are awarded though JawaharlalNehru University, New Delhi, the management courses are recognised by the All India Management Association.

The motto of the college is quality through excellence which appears to have emerged as the most appropriate strategy, with strong focus on customer satisfaction. There is a constant endeavour to update knowledge in keeping with international technologies. With a library of an impressive 54,000 books and a sanction of Rs 1.59 crore for the purchase of additional computers under modernisation plan, which is aimed at promoting awareness, it is perhaps not so surprising after all to note how they achieved the grueling standards set by ISO 9001.

However contrary to popular perception, it is not all work and no play within these hallowed precincts. All soldiers irrespective of rank participate in activities such as squash, basketball, golf, boxing and water sports mainly sailing, both at national and international levels.