ISO 9001 Quality Management System
Every organization would like to improve the way it operates, whether tha means increasing market share, driving down costs, Managing risk more effectively or improving customer satisfaction. A quality management system gives you the framework you need to monitor and improve performance in any area you choose. ISO 9001 is by far the world's most established quality framework, currently being used byover million organizations, and sets the standard not only for quality management systems, but management systems in general. It helps ajl to all organizations to succeed through improved customer satisfaction, staff motivation and continual improvment.
External Benefits
When a company has been satisfactorily assessed to ISO 9001, they will be able to display the Certification Body's logo on their correspondence. Sales and Marketing Benefits:
- The logos will increase the stature of the Company in the Market place and help to enlarge the customer base.
- It will satisfy the larger businesses that the company operates to a controlled system which will result in fewer customer audits needing to be carried out to confirm the on-going commitment to getting it right the first time.
- It will reduce one of the hurdles to entering an approved supplier list run by a potential customer.
- ISO 9001 is an international standard and it will open international doors not just those locally.
- The Quality manual is a separate document and can be used as a sales and marketing tool, it will both describe the company commitment to standards and customer requirements as well as promoting the company to new customers.
Internal Benefits
- A properly implemented system reduces production errors and, in the longer term, leads to a reduction in necessary rectification work.
- The reduced rectification work coupled with a maintained list of suppliers and sub-contractors leads to reduced warranty work as the product becomes more reliable.
- The initial implementation will give the company a one-off opportunity to fully assess its management systems to ensure they are efficient and effective. It will give the staff the opportunity to assist with the production of the system. This leads to staff to subscribing to the system and treating it as their own.
- The regular internal reviews required will make the Company look hard at itself to ensure there are fewer areas where errors could occur.
- Staff will be better aware of their responsibilities and the need to show customer care.
- In certain areas the introduction of a suitable system could suggest to an insurance company that there is a reduced problem with regards to negligence and lead to reduced insurance premiums.
- It will provide an improvement in communications both internally and to customers.
- It provides an opportunity for the management to introduce those procedures and other requirements it has been trying to introduce for a long time but without the full support of the employees.
A new version of the standard,ISO 9001:2015, has been launched,replacing the previous version (ISO 9001:2008).
Why has the standard been revised?
ISO standards are reviewed every five years and revised if needed.This helps ensure they remain useful tools for the marketplace. The challenges faced by business and organizations today are very different from a few decades ago and ISO 9001 has been updated to take this new environment into account.
What benefits does the new version bring ?
The new version of the standard brings the user a number of benefits.
- ISO 9001:2015 Puts greater emphasis on leadership engagement.
- Helps address organizational risks and opportunities in a structured manner.
- Uses simplified language and a common structure and terms,which are particularly helpful to organizations using multi-ple management systems, such as those for the environment,health & safety, or business continuity.
- Addresses supply chain management more effectively.
- Is more user-friendly for service and knowledge-based organizations.
I am certified to ISO 9001:2008.What should I do?
You have a three-year transition period from the date of publication (September 2015) to move to the 2015 version. This means that, after the end of September 2018, a certificate to ISO 9001:2008 will no longer be valid.