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It means that the company has been issued a certificate of conformance to that
international standard, regarding the structure, content and implementation of
its quality management system. Further, because the current version of ISO 9001
includes requirements for product design control, they conform to the
requirements for designing and developing products.
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quality systems, and is being accepted for this purpose throughout the world.
It is only a matter of time until most organizations involved with making or
processing any industrial (perhaps even consumer) products will be compelled to
be certified, or risk losing serious market share.
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What is a "pre-assessment"?
Consultancies offer a pre-assessment visit before the full-blown registrars
certification assessment. It is usually a 1-2 day visit, dependent on the size of your
organisation. It is always advisable to have a pre-assessment audit as it provides
a chance for the assessor to take a preliminary overview look at your systems,
and to point out any glaring problems that will have to be fixed before the
certification assessment.
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"SIC" code your business is lodged under for taxation purposes, then ask the
certification body if their accreditation covers that code.
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against a particular product, that product has to be tested and it must reach a
certain standard of performance. ISO 9001:2000 is a quality management
standard against which a certificate is issued if the management of your business
compiles.
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organisation. A spin off benefit from being ISO 9001:2000 certified is that it can
assure your potential customers that you are operating legitimate business
systems without them having to first audit your business.
Conversely, potential customers may be sceptical about self-declarations of ISO
9001:2000 compliance.
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In my years as an auditor I have seen companies benefit greatly from ISO 9000
registration. I have seen small, medium and large companies turn themselves
around from being a disorganised mess to world class players in the field of
commerce.
Quite simply put: Its okay doing things your own way until you want to interact
with someone who operates differently. Where would we be now if we did not
have standards for railway tracks or standards for household plug sockets or
even computers or television broadcasts? ISO 9001:2000 is the standardised way
of doing business and if you want to move ahead then you have to play by the
same rules.
Of the many articles that I have read stated that many businesses which had
adopted and achieved ISO 9001:2000 registration saw increased sales,
productivity cost control and improved financial performance.
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There are now hundreds of registration bodies out there, many of which
specialise in particular fields of registration. I will say that bigger does not
necessarily mean better, many of the smaller certification bodies may be more
familiar with your industry or service sector and can offer a personalised service.
However, before employing a certification body to carry out the certification of
your business there are certain things that you must check.
Make sure that the certification bodies ISO 9001:2000 certificates are recognised and
accepted in your industry and by your customers.
Find out whether a recognised accreditation body has formally accredited your
certification body and that their accreditation covers your industry or service sector.
The frequency and cost of surveillance audits.
Total costs for certification cycle i.e. annual management fees, surveillance visits,
certification audit, and for future surveillance audits and reassessments where
applicable.
The above is intended a guidance only there may be other specific requirements
related to your business or industry sector.
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Quality System.
Setting Quality objectives for the business.
Holding management reviews.
Ensuring that the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 are met.
Communicating the importance of meeting customer requirements.
Often the benefit of adopting an ISO 9001:2000 system has literally to be sold to
the top management within the business. You will find many articles on this web
site to help with this task. If you are unsure how to do this it may be worth
contacting a consultant who will have all the necessary information and may do
the job for you.
You can always visit our ISO 9001 2000 training services page to arrange for one
of our consultant trainers to visit your organisation to educate your managers.
Click [HERE]
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