ISO accredited
Benefits of certification
ISO 9000 provides a framework and systematic approach to managing business processes to produce a product/service that conforms to customer expectations. For customers, the certification of suppliers to ISO standards means that they can be assured that the development of their products and services are compliant to reference documents that are globally accepted. This, of course, means that customers and suppliers are able to compete in markets around the world.
The benefits of becoming certified are numerous; companies should ensure that they are pursuing certification for the right reasons:
- To improve business processes and save money. Most companies implementing ISO 9000 certification report increases in business process efficiencies, reductions in waste, and improved product quality.
- To qualify for new customers. Many corporations see ISO 9000 Certification as an essential requirement for conducting business with a new vendor.
- To enter global markets. ISO 9000 standards are required in many countries.
What are the ISO standards?
The ISO 9000 standards are produced by an international consensus of countries with the aim of creating global standards of product and service quality. These sets of standards form a quality management system and are applicable to any organization regardless of product, service, organizational size, or whether it's a public or private company.
ISO covers all technical fields and is not limited to any particular discipline. It does not, however, cover electrical or electronic engineering which are the responsibility of the IEC. The responsibility for information technology is performed by a joint ISO/IEC technical committee.
Your business can be certified against one of three quality systems: ISO 9001, ISO 9002 or ISO 9003.
- ISO 9001 sets out the requirements for an organization whose business processes range all the way from design and development, to production, installation and servicing;
- ISO 9002 is the appropriate standard for organizations that do not design and develop products, since it does not include the design control requirements of ISO 9001. Its requirements are identical aside from that distinction.
- ISO 9003 is the appropriate standard for an organization whose business processes do not include design control, process control, purchasing or servicing. It focuses on inspection and testing to ensure that final products and services meet specified requirements.
It is your organization that chooses which of the three quality systems to be certified against (ISO 9001, ISO 9002 or ISO 9003) based on business processes. None is considered more important than another; it is important to identify the appropriate standard before pursuing certification.
Additional information
Further information on ISO 9001:2000 can be found at the ISO website.
01622 692 249
We're registered with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) as Chartered Surveyors and with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as Chartered Architects.
Prime House1a Queen Anne Road
Maidstone, Kent.
ME14 1HU
E-mail: enquiries@primegroupltd.co.uk
Or use our enquiry form.
