ISO 9000

In this competitive market place, it's the firms with commitment to quality that are winning.

This is not an exaggerated statement. It's fact. Let's face it! None of us, no matter if we are dealing with companies for work-related or personal reasons, want to have work done this is shoddy or doesn't arrive on time or is simply not what you wanted.

And that goes for your customers too! You might produce the best product in the world but if you can't deliver the correct amount at the correct time to the correct specifications, you can kiss your customers goodbye.

So, how do you go about putting in place a good management system while, at the same time, giving your customers the peace of mind that the company they are dealing with is professional? It's easy! You need ISO9000.

What is ISO9000?
It's an internationally recognised award for a system of procedures which ensures effective quality management in all areas of your business.

Any company can work towards ISO9000, no matter its size or industry type, and achieving the standard demonstrates to your customers that you are committed to quality management.

How will your company benefit?
By bringing in a quality management system, your company can expect to reap the following benefits:

So how do you go about getting ISO9000 accreditation?
First of all you need to put together a statement on how your company does its business and its management aims. You want to do this with the help of a consultant. Then you need to speak to an accredited certification company such as SGS Yarsley.

Alex Thomson, Scottish regional manager for SGS Yarsley, said: It does cost to gain ISO9000 accreditation, but it's more than worth it. Most big companies won't consider doing business with anyone who doesn't have ISO accreditation, it's a proof of quality.

"If a company is going down the route to certification, they have to look at how they operate, what their systems are and write down how they go about doing their business. They would then approach a certification body like ourselves. We would arrange to do an initial assessment.

"A company must meet the requirements of 20 clauses within the ISO regulation, clauses which cover everything from contract reviews, management and the delivery of your product or service. What we will do is a desk study on the company's written management procedures against every one of those clauses. If they don't meet the requirements, we would write back to them with our findings and make suggestions as to how they can remedy that.

"Then we will do an initial assessment by actually going out to the company and spending a day or so going through their procedures. We would write back with our findings and let them know if we are recommending them for accreditation.

" If the company still isn't quite meeting requirements, we can advise them on how to sort that out by making an observation. If we make an observation, they can still get their ISO accreditation. However, if we see there is something that should be happening that isn't, we may raise a corrective action request. This means that, while they can still get accreditation, they have to sort out the problem within six months.

"Companies who receive a major corrective action request from us will not get certification. This is not the end of the world. The company will be required to take steps to fix whatever it is that they are not doing right and we will go back in and check it has been done.

Once the accredited certification body has recommended a company for ISO approval, the company will receive a certificate, a schedule detailing the scope of the accreditation and permission to put the ISO9000 logo on their stationery.

But, it doesn't stop there. In order to retain their accreditation, a company will have to undergo regular surveillance visits from the accredited certification body (e.g. every six months) and an assessment every three years.

Alex said: "Around half of our clients get their ISO9000 accreditation for commercial reasons. Bigger organisations require it as a prerequisite for trading. The biggest reason for a company to go for it is to prove that they are a quality company - a real attraction for potential customers.

Be warned, however! Only use certification companies which have been accredited by UKAS, the company set up by the DTi to set standards in business. There are some unscrupulous companies out there who sell quality management system awards which have not been accredited by UKAS and are not worth the paper they are written on.

Alex said: "Properly accredited certification bodies will award certification that bears a crown and a tick which shows the award is traceable back to the Government. If you don't see that they are not proper certification companies."

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