Frequently
Asked Questions
Who is ISO?
What is ISO 9001?
Why are the Standards so
Important?
How do I purchase copies
of ISO standards?
What are the requirements
of ISO 9001:2000?
Does it pay to be ISO 9001
certified?
What is ISO 14001?
Where can I find out more
information about ISO 14001?
What are the requirements
of ISO 14001?
Who needs to become certified
to ISO 14001?
What are benefits of becoming
ISO 14001 certified?
What
is ISO/TS 16949?
Who can achieve ISO/TS
16949 certification?
Where
can I learn more about ISO/TS 16949?
Who is ISO?
ISO is a non-governmental organization (International
Organization of Standards) established in 1947. The mission of
ISO is to promote the development of standardization and related
activities in the world with a view to facilitating the international
exchange of goods and services, and to develop cooperation in
the field of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic
activity. FYI ... ISO is not an acronym
but, a Greek word meaning equal.
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What is ISO 9001?
ISO 9001 is a set of basic business principles written
in a standard for quality management systems that is accepted
around the world. Currently more than 100 countries have adopted
ISO 9001 as a national standard. The standard is intended for
the quality management system assessments and registrations to
ISO 9001. The standards apply uniformly to organizations
of any size or description.
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Why are the Standards so Important?
Standards help ensure that everyone no matter where in
the world they are communicating, they are speaking the same business
language. Many companies require their suppliers to become
registered to ISO 9001 and because of this, registered companies
find that their market opportunities have increased. In addition,
a company's compliance with ISO 9001 insures that it has a sound
quality management system, and that's good business. Registered
companies have had dramatic reductions in customer complaints,
significant reductions in operating costs and increased demand
for their products and services. Many industrial companies require
registration by their own suppliers.
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How do I purchase copies of ISO standards?
You can contact ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
www.nist.gov
or you can contact the International Organization of Standards
web site at www.iso.org
.
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What are the requirements of ISO 9001:2000?
The ISO 9001:2000 standard is divided up into 5 different
processes:
4. Quality Management System
Documentation requirements
Quality manual
Control of documents
Control of records
5. Management Responsibility
Management commitment
Customer focus
Quality policy
Planning
Responsibility, authority and communication
Management review
6. Resource Management
Provision of resources
Human resources
Infrastructure
Work environment
7. Product Realization
Planning of product realization
Customer related processes
Design and development
Purchasing
Production and service provision
Control of monitoring and measuring devices
8. Measurement, Analysis and Improvement
Customer satisfaction
Internal audits
Monitoring and measurement of processes
Monitoring and measurement of product(s)
Control of nonconforming product
Analysis of data
Improvement
Does it pay to be ISO 9001 certified?
According to a study conducted by The Anderson
School at UCLA, R.H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland
and Universidad Carlos III, Spain , " Firms
that failed to seek certification experienced substantial deteriorations
in ROA, productivity and sales, while firms that did seek certification
generally managed to avoid such declines". The entire study can
be accessed at: http://www.worldpreferred.com/pub/IMS04-2002a31-40-LD.pdf
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What is ISO 14001?
The ISO 14001 standard is primarily concerned with "environmental
management". This means what the organization does to minimize
harmful effects on the environment caused by its activities, and
to achieve continual improvement of its environmental performance.
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Where can I find out more information
about ISO 14001?
You can find out much more information about any ISO
standard by going to the International Organization of Standards
web site at: www.iso.org
.
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What are the requirements of ISO 14001?
As with ISO 9001, the key to a successful ISO 14001 Environmental
Management System (EMS) is having documented policies and procedures
that are implemented and managed in such a way that achievement
of environmental goals is appropriate with the features and size
of activities is being conducted at your facility. In addition,
the EMS must include appropriate monitoring and review to ensure
effective functioning of the EMS and to identify and implement
corrective measures in a timely manner.
ISO14001 standards include the need for facilities
to document and make available to the public an Environmental
Policy. In addition, procedures must be established for ongoing
review of the environmental aspects & impacts of products,
activities, & services. Based on these environmental aspects
& impacts, environmental goals and objectives must be established
that are consistent with the environmental policy. Documented
programs must be set in place to implement these activities.
To ensure that the EMS is operating effectively
and efficiently internal Audits of the EMS must be conducted routinely
to ensure that non-conformances to the system are identified and
addressed. In addition, the management review process must ensure
top management involvement in the assessment of the EMS, and as
necessary, addressing the need for changes.
The EMS policy(s) document(s) is the central
document that describes the interaction of the core elements of
the system, and provides a third-party auditor with the key information
necessary to understand the environmental management systems in-place
at the company. Consistent with the principles of ISO14001, the
Environmental Policy and Environmental aspects/impacts analysis,
including legal & other requirements, shape the program by
influencing the selection of specific measurable environmental
goals, objectives, & targets. Specific programs and/or projects
must then be developed to achieve these environmental goals, objectives,
& targets. The checking & corrective action elements
of the system help ensure continual improvement by addressing
root causes on non-conformances. The ongoing management review
of the EMS and its elements helps to ensure continuing suitability,
adequacy, & effectiveness of the program.
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Who needs to become certified to ISO
14001?
For many companies, conformance to ISO 14001 may become
a contractual requirement of customers in both the U.S. and the
European Community (EC). Some companies setting goals to establish
environmental management systems that conform to ISO 14001 guidelines
in order to remain competitive in the global marketplace. For
those companies who have already obtained ISO 9001 registration,
the ISO 14001 registration is a logical next step because it is
very similar to ISO 9001. In addition to the company marketing
benefits of obtaining ISO 14001 registration, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) may provide regulatory incentives under
its Common Sense Initiative (CSI) program to benefit companies
certified to ISO 14001.
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What are benefits of becoming ISO 14001
certified?
Some of the benefits of implementing an Environmental
Management System (EMS) in accordance with the ISO 14001 standards,
include: discovering areas for reduction in energy usage and other
resource expenditure, reducing environmental liability and risk,
helping to maintain reliable compliance with legislative &
regulatory requirements, benefiting form regulatory incentives
that reward companies showing environmental leadership through
certified compliance with an internationally recognized EMS standard,
averting pollution and reducing waste, responding to pressure
from customers and shareholders, improving community goodwill,
profiting in the market for "green" products, respond
to insurance company pressure for proof of good management before
pollution-incident coverage is issued, and demonstrating commitment
to high-quality.
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What is ISO/TS 16949?
ISO/TS 16949 is a Technical Specification not an
ISO standard. The International Automotive Task Force (IATF),
which consists of an international group of vehicle manufacturers,
wrote ISO/TS 16949 in conjunction with the International Organization
for Standards (ISO). This specification aligns existing American
(QS-9000), German (VDA6.1), French (EAQF) and Italian (AVSQ) automotive
quality systems standards within the global automotive industry.
Together with ISO 9001:2000, ISO/TS 16949 specifies
the quality management system requirements for the design/development,
production, installation and servicing of automotive products.
In addition, there are customer specific requirements that are
required by individual subscribing vehicle manufacturers.
ISO/TS 16949 does not replace the existing quality system requirements.
However, along with customer specific requirements, ISO/TS 16949
has been accepted as an equivalent to QS-9000, VDA6.1, AVSQ, and
EAQF. ISO/TS 16949 will eliminate the need for multiple certifications.
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Who can achieve ISO/TS 16949 certification?
The only companies that can achieve ISO/TS 16949 certification
supply automotive parts, components or service parts to the automotive
industry.
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Where can I learn more about ISO/TS
16949?
You can learn more about ISO/TS
16949 by going to the International Automotive Oversight Bureau
at: www.iaob.org
.
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