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ISO International Organization for Standardization

International Organization for Standardization is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from some 100 countries, one from each country. ISO is a nongovernmental organization established in 1947. The mission of ISO is to promote the development of standardization and related activities in the world with view to facilitating the international exchange of goods and services, and to developing cooperation in the sphere of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic activity.

Need for ISO The existence of non-harmonized standards for similar technologies in different countries or regions can contribute to so called technical barriers to trade. Export oriented industries have always felt the need to agree on world standards to help international trade. This was the origin of the establishment of ISO. International Standardization is now well established for very many technologies in such diverse field as information processing and communications, textiles, packaging, distribution of goods, energy production and utilization, ship building, banking and financial services. ISO 9000 Series Standards The ISO 9000 series is a set of five individual, but related, international standards on quality management and quality assurance. They are generic not specific to any particular products. They can be used in the manufacturing and service industries These standards were developed with the goal of effectively documenting the quality system elements to be implemented in order to maintain an effective quality system in a company. These standards seek to ensure that a company has in place necessary organization, commitment and systems to consistently meet defined quality and performance standards. It is important to recognize that these standards do not set or define quality levels; the setting of the quality levels or performance standards is very much up to the company, depending on the needs of the market place and the requirements of its customers. ISO 9000 Quality Management and Quality Assurance Standards Guidelines for Selection and Use ISO 9001 Quality Systems Model for Quality Assurance in Design, Development, Production, Installation, and Servicing ISO 9002

Quality Systems Model for Quality Assurance in Production, Installation and Servicing ISO 9003 Quality Systems Model for Quality Assurance in Final Inspection and Test ISO 9004 Quality Management and Quality System Elements Guidelines

How does the series work ? ISO 9000 is the road map for the series. Its purpose is to provide the user with the guidelines for selection and use of ISO 9001, 9002, 9003 and 9004. ISO 9001,9002, and 9003 are actually successive subsets of each other. ISO 9001 is the most comprehensive covering design, manufacturing, installation, and servicing systems, and it covers 20 elements of company operations. ISO 9002 covers production and installation, and ISO 9003 covers only final product inspection and test. Elements of ISO 9000 Standards Management responsibility Quality System Contract Review Design Control Documents and data control Purchasing Customer-supplied product Product identification and traceability Process Control Inspection and Testing Control of Inspection, measuring, and test equipment Inspection and test status Control of nonconforming product Corrective and preventive action Handling, storage, packaging, preservation and delivery Control of quality audits Internal quality audits Training Servicing Statistical Techniques Who is using ISO 9000 ? Corporations around the world have been building and continue to build their quality systems around these standards.

Both large and small companies with international businesses perceive the ISO 9000 series as a route to open markets and improved competitiveness. One doesnt have to be a multinational corporation to benefit from implementing these standards.

What does being registered to ISO 9001, 9002 or 9003 mean ? Being registered to ISO 9001, 9002 or 9003 means having an accredited independent third party conduct, an on-site audit of your companys operation against the requirements of the appropriate standard. Upon successful completion of this audit, your company will receive a registration certificate that identifies your quality system as being in compliance with ISO 9001, 9002 or 9003. You may publicize your registration and use the third party registrars certification mark on your advertising, letterheads, and other publicity materials, but not on your products. Advantages of Implementing or registering to these standards These standards can used as a vital management tool to improve quality and productivity and save costs. As company begins to implement ISO 9000 standard, it forces all the employees to review the current practices in a variety of areas of the company operations and improve them as an effort is made to comply with the requirement of the standard. It forces consistency in procedures and practices and thereby brings discipline in operations, resulting in reduced variability, which is the key to process improvement. It generates greater awareness of quality at various levels and across functions within a company. It helps identify opportunities for reducing errors and improving quality and productivity. As a company goes through registration process quality and productivity improves. ISO 9000 registration can be used as a marketing tool, and a competitive advantage. Being registered to ISO 9000 Standard will result in reduction in multiple audits / assessments as customers are increasingly accepting supplier quality system registration / certification from an accredited third party. Being registered to ISO 9000 standards offers worldwide credibility as a company having good quality system in place.