Whatever your business you will need a quality management system. Good quality systems are necessary in a variety of industries including catering, manufacturing and environmental management. If your quality management systems are good enough and fit the criteria then your business could be awarded ISO 9001 certification. Here we look at what the ISO is and what ISO 9001 certification would mean for you and your customers.
About ISO
The ISO is the International Organisation for Standardisation which is an umbrella organisation covering the national standards bodies in 162 countries. There are more than 20,000 international standards covering industries as diverse as food safety, healthcare and agriculture. The standards generally provide businesses with the guidance they need to ensure that they are efficient and are offering a safe and good quality product or service.
In November 2015, ISO 9001 was updated to reflect the changes in technology and the global market. The new ISO 9001:2015 will be easier to use and will work better with other management system standards. Businesses will have three years in which to ensure that their systems are working in line with the new standard although it is hoped that many businesses will implement it sooner than that.
How the Certification Can Be Used
ISO 9001 certification has many benefits but the main one is that you can announce to your customers, suppliers and others within your industry that your quality management system meets the requirements of the international standard. This information can then be used in company literature and on websites, however you must use the logo of the registrar who conducted your audit rather than the ISO logo. You will also need to include the number of the standard that the certification relates to in order to avoid any confusion.
A quality management system can be approved for a whole variety of businesses, so whether you are working in catering, nuisance bird management firms like www.vvenv.co.uk/, healthcare or agriculture then ISO 9001 certification is worth having.
If you are in business and do not already have ISO accreditation then hopefully this has shown that it is something that is worth having. It will have benefits for your company and will demonstrate to your clients, customers and suppliers that you are dedicated to using good quality management systems.
