Why is ISO 9001 certification beneficial?
Business customers are increasingly expecting proof of functioning quality control from their suppliers. The easiest way is to introduce a quality management system (QMS) in the company. However, companies need an ISO 9001 certificate in order to be able to prove that they are following their own quality management manual. Therefore, SMEs and medium-sized companies need ISO9001 certification.
Through quality management, consistently high quality can be achieved in the production of consumables. The process landscape is an important part of an ISO 9001 audit.
What do I need for ISO 9001 certification?
To obtain an ISO 9001 certificate, you must meet several requirements and take important key points into account. In this section we present the individual sub-areas. Keep in mind, that ISO certification must be conducted by an accredited certification body in order to make the certificate internationally valid.
ISO 9001 accredited certification body
There are many companies around the world that offer QM certificates. However, not everyone is actually entitled to issue an official certificate. There is at least one accreditation body in every country (e.g. UKAS in Great Britain, DAkkS in Germany, RvA in the Netherlands, UAF in the USA, TÜRKAK in Turkey). These accreditation bodies oversee the officially approved certification bodies, which are referred to as “accredited”. In order for other companies to recognize your newly acquired IEC ISO 9001 certificate, you need an audit and certification from an ISO 9001 accredited certification body. Only accredited certification bodies (e.g. BSI, IFC Global, Mazars, SGS) are allowed to issue official ISO 9001 certificates according to the international rules (see IAF).
Quality management manual according to ISO 9001
You must introduce a quality management system (QMS for short) in your company. On the one hand, this consists of a series of standard documents as well as specific instructions on how your employees should react to certain situations and how they adhere to the company’s quality goals through their daily activities.
Appointment of a QM representative
In order for companies to achieve their quality goals, management must appoint a quality management representative and provide them with the necessary resources.