It has published more than 24,000 standards which apply to a wide variety of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, and accounting. ISO standards are a collection of best practices that promote product compatibility, share solutions and know-how, and identify safety issues.
There is no legal requirement to have an ISO certification. That said, in some industries, customers may not work with a supplier that does not hold a certification. For instance, if you supply medical devices, you may be expect to hold ISO 13485.
ISO 9001 is designed to ensure consistent, high-quality products and services for your customers. It applies to all businesses and industries – however, it is not a legal requirement for starting, owning or running a business.
ISO standards are internationally agreed by experts. Think of them as a formula that describes the best way of doing something. It could be about making a product, managing a process, delivering a service or supplying materials – standards cover a huge range of activities.
The Basics of ISO 9001 Certification
More than 900,000 valid ISO 9001 certificates cover nearly 1.3 million sites worldwide. ISO 9001 certification applies to an entire organization and all its business processes. The standard touches on every sector of a company and is appropriate for all operational environments.
The fact of the matter is, ISO certification is not necessary for every business, but it can offer numerous benefits for companies that operate in certain industries, have customers that require it or want to demonstrate a commitment to quality and safety.
ISO Certifications are applicable for almost all kinds of manufacturing units regardless of their size, type, or process.
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world's largest developer and publisher of International Standards. Over 20 million businesses worldwide are certified or recognized. In Australia, the most common ISO standard for certification is ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems.
A Statement of Applicability is a document essential for ISO 27001 certification. It's a report that states the Annex A controls as well as the Annex A controls that were excluded that your organization determined to be necessary for mitigating information security risk.
Following ISO standards is not required by any law; however, ISO standards are recognized in many industries. Furthemore, ISO certification conjures up an image that the business adheres to certain quality measures when developing and producing products and services.
It can be used by any organization, large or small, regardless of its field of activity. In fact, there are over one million companies and organizations in over 170 countries certified to ISO 9001.
It is a common thought that ISO certification is meant for large corporate businesses, but don't be misled by this. In fact, ISO certification can be just as beneficial for small businesses as it is for large, and the standards are designed to help all different sized businesses.
The Manufacturing Industry
Regardless of what products you manufacture, customer satisfaction and product quality are of utmost importance. Some of the best ISO standards for the manufacturing industry include ISO 9001-quality, ISO 45001-occupational health and safety, and ISO 14001-environment.
ISO 9001 is not a legal requirement. Although recognized as important in many industries, companies may operate without the certification. ISO 9000 is a series of standards to ensure that a business is upholding and working towards improved quality in every aspect of their business.
ISO's standards on road safety, toy safety and secure medical packaging are just a few of those that help make the world a safer place. Regulators and governments count on ISO standards to help develop better regulation, knowing they have a sound basis thanks to the involvement of globally-established experts.
ISO compliance is the practice of following a specific ISO standard as a guide for your organization's structure, business operations, practices, and policies. Achieving compliance can be a first step towards certification or meeting partner/stakeholder requirements.
1) Promotes best practices—ISO and other standards give you access to internationally recognized best practices across your business. Standards exist for everything from quality management to environmental performance, information security, food safety, risk management, and health and safety.
There is no requirement for the public to comply with standards. However, State and Commonwealth governments often refer to Australian Standards® (AS) or joint Australian/New Zealand Standards (AS/NZS) in their legislation.
ISO 9001 is the internationally recognized Quality Management System (QMS) standard that can benefit any size organization. Designed to be a powerful business improvement tool, ISO 9001 Quality Management certification can help you to: Continually improve, streamline operations and reduce costs.
Standards can be either voluntary or mandatory:
Standards are voluntary when organizations are not legally required to follow them. Organizations may choose to follow them to meet customer or industry demands. Standards are mandatory when they are enforced by laws or regulations, often for health or safety reasons.
The international accreditation forum (IAF) is the first place you should go to check if an ISO certificate is valid. If an organisation's certification body isn't on the IAF list, then the certification isn't valid. Next, you should check if the certification is from a national accreditation body.
Look for an Accreditation Body Stamp
Because ISO 9001 certified companies undergo an external audit to make sure their requirements are being met, there should be a stamp or indication from a registrar. If there is no accreditation body marking on the document, you should be suspicious of the document's validity.
ISO 9001. Quality control is important for any industry, but for manufacturing it is even more so. An ISO 9001 certificate demonstrates that your organisation is customer-focused and committed to delivering consistent, quality products.
All the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 are generic and are intended to be applicable to any organization, regardless of its type or size, or the products and services it provides.