TOYOTA agent Crown Motors has become the first Hong Kong car distributor to receive ISO 9001 certification. Managing director William Tsui said millions had been spent by the company to create a kind of ''quality culture''. The company standardised and wrote out policies and procedures for all 26 divisions and 1,300 employees. It hired consultants from Inchcape and formed a team of more than 70 people to oversee the process. The company held three pre-audit sessions before the ISO audit, its first certification attempt. Mr Tsui said there was initial resistance from some sectors, but they were won over by a philosophy of ''fix it right the first time''. Management convinced employees that a stringent quality-control system meant not having to do the work over again. The chance of being the first car distributor to be certified in Hong Kong challenged the workers, said Mr Tsui. Employees were promised an extra paid day off if the company was certified on its first try. The company initiated the certification process 18 months ago. Mr Tsui said accreditation was important because ISO had the most recognised and stringent standards on quality, adding that many certified customers would seek certified suppliers. ''I can foresee the day when fleet customers will require ISO accreditation,'' he said. ''It's happening in manufacturing.'' He said 15 to 20 per cent of Crown Motor's business came from clients such as the Mass Transit Railway. ISO 9001 recognises excellence in the creation of quality systems in design and development, production, installation and servicing.