INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF STANDARDIZATION (ISO)
Are you considering ISO Certification? ISO compliance is becoming mandatory for success overseas. Worldwide customers are becoming more quality conscious and are demanding these standards be met as a minimum requirement.
Below is an overview with the basics.
The ISO has developed a series of five standards, 9000, 9001, 9002, 9003 and 9004. They describe quality assurance standards used by companies that supply goods and services to the international market.
ISO 9000 serves as an identifying and defining source for the rest of the series
ISO 9001 applies to those operations that design and make products. It specifies a quality set-up when contracts require demonstration of a supplier’s capability to design, produce, install, and service the product. It addresses detection, design, and correction of problems during production, training, and record keeping.
ISO 9002 applies to those commodity businesses with little design activity. It defines quality assurance in production and installation.
ISO 9003 applies to all companies and outlines a quality system model for final testing and inspection.
ISO 9004 studies the elements of the previous documents and lists “how-to” guidelines for quality management and quality elements needed to develop and implement a quality system.
ISO certification is received through a rigorous process of preparation, documentation, and inspection by an approved assessment body.
ISO certification raises a company’s quality standards resulting in higher productivity and less customer complaints. Suppliers exporting internationally should be aware that their customers may require them to be ISO certified.
To become ISO certified you must receive approval from an approved assessment group. The American Society for Quality (ASQ) maintains the Registrar Accreditation Board that monitors and approves the various independent assessment groups nationwide. To obtain a list of approved assessors visit their website: www.asq.org.