Sunday, August 24, 2008

ISO 9000 Certified

Reason To Obtain ISO 9000 Certified

In the early 1990s, companies seemed to be jumping on the certification bandwagon without seriously considering the rationale for doing so. Often they did so because competitors or "everybody else" is getting registered. Today companies seriously look at the reasons and benefits for becoming registered.
The major reasons that company leadership or management decides to seek ISO 9000 certification are to gain continued or increased business and to maintain effective operations.

Improved business
A company can maintain a relationship with customers, as well as get increased business through complying to the ISO 900 standards or becoming certified. This comes from satisfying customer demands, the desire for European business, and to advertise.

Customer demands
The first and most common motivation is when a company's prime customer demands such certification of its suppliers. Companies want to make sure they get parts that fulfill their specifications and that they get what they are paying for.
For example, the big three automotive companies require all their suppliers to be certified in QS 9000, the industry equivalent to ISO 9000.

European business
Another reason to become registered in ISO 9000 is that the company feels it will have better access to European markets. Many European companies have agreed only to deal with ISO 9000 registered suppliers to assure quality parts and services.
This seemed to be a big factor in the 1990s, but its importance and impact has greatly diminished.

Advertising
Finally, some companies want to become certified, so they can advertise that fact and give the impression of being better than their competitors.

You have seen ads with a logo stating the company is certified at some ISO 9000 level. It apparently gives those companies a leg up on competitors not registered.

Again, this seemed more important in the 1990s, but you don't see that many companies using ISO 9000 certification as an advertising tool.

Improved operations
By conforming to the ISO 9000 standards, a company can greatly improve their efficiency of operations, provided care is taken not to become too rigid, document too much, or to not apply the standards to completely fit your business.

http://www.iso-consults.com
http://www.e-soft.com.my