Benefits of ISO 9001 certification

Overview

Every organization would like to improve the way it operates, whether that means increasing market share, driving down costs, managing risk more effectively or improving customer satisfaction. Quality Management Systems give you the framework you need to monitor and improve performance in any area you choose.
By far the world’s most established quality framework is ISO 9001, which sets the standard not just for Quality Management Systems, but management systems in general. ISO 9001 is helping all kinds of organizations to succeed through improved customer satisfaction and staff motivation.

Who is it for?

ISO 9001 is right for any organization, regardless of size or sector, looking to improve the way it is operated and managed. However, the best returns on investment come from companies prepared to implement it throughout their organization rather than particular sites, departments or divisions.

A fully documented QMS will ensure that two important requirements are met:

The customers’ requirements – confidence in the ability of the organization to deliver the desired product and service consistently meeting their needs and expectations.

The organization’s requirements – both internally and externally, and at an optimum cost with efficient use of the available resources – materials, human, technology and information.

These requirements can only be truly met if objective evidence is provided, in the form of information and data, to support the system activities, from the ultimate supplier to the ultimate customer.

A QMS enables an organization to achieve the goals and objectives set out in its policy and strategy. It
provides consistency and satisfaction in terms of methods, materials, equipment, etc, and interacts with all activities of the organization, beginning with the identification of customer requirements and ending with their satisfaction, at every transaction interface.

• 
  
  Benefits to company, customer, employees and how these benefits are provided by ISO 9001 are summarized below.


• 
  
  Benefits for the company


• 
  
  Benefits for the company's customers


• 
  
  Benefits for the company's employees


• 
  
  How these benefits are provided by the standard ISO 9001


 




---

Benefits for the company:

• 
  
  Company’s products will be of a more consistent quality.


• 
  
  The company will make greater savings in costs, because of improvement in production efficiency and reduction in rejection.


• 
  
  The company can improve the quality of its raw materials and components by having adequate control over its Suppliers.


• 
  
  The company can expect preferential treatment from potential customers.


• 
  
  The company will secure greater customer loyalty, because it will continuously satisfy its Customers' needs and give them no cause to seek another supplier.


• 
  
  The company can use ISO 9000 certification in improving its public image.


• 
  
  The company can use ISO 9000 certification in its publicity to win more sales.

Competitive advantage

ISO 9001 should be top management led which ensures that senior management take a strategic approach to their management systems. Our assessment and certification process ensures that the business objectives constantly feed into your processes and working practices helping you to maximize your assets.

Improves business performance and manages business risk

ISO 9001 helps your managers to raise the organization’s performance above and beyond competitors who aren’t using the system. Certification also makes it easier to measure performance and better manage business risk.
Attracts investment, enhances brand reputation and removes barriers to trade
Certification to ISO 9001 will boost your organization’s brand reputation and can be a useful promotional tool. It sends a clear message to all stakeholders that this is a company committed to high standards and continual improvement.

Saves you money

Evidence shows that the financial benefits for companies that have invested in and certified their quality management systems to ISO 9001 include operational efficiencies, increased sales, higher return on assets and greater profitability.

Streamlines operations and reduces waste

The assessment of your quality management system focuses on operating processes. This encourages organizations to improve the quality of products and the service provided and helps to reduce waste, rejections and customer complaints.

Encourages internal communication and raises morale

ISO 9001 ensures that employees feel more involved through improved communication. Continual Assessment visits can highlight any skills shortages sooner and uncover any teamwork issues.

Increases customer satisfaction

The ‘Plan, Do, Check, Act’ structure of ISO 9001 ensures that the needs of the customer are always being considered and met.





---

Benefits for the company's customers:

• 
  
  The company's customers will receive products or services of a known level of quality that is independently audited.


• 
  
  Customers are presented with a means of choosing between competing suppliers.


• 
  
  Customers will have more confidence in the company's products.

Benefits for the company's employees:

• 
  
  Documented management system will give them better understanding of role and objectives.


• 
  
  They will benefit from reduced stress levels, because they will be using an efficient management system, and because they know what is expected of them,


• 
  
  Their morale and sense of pride will rise when they achieve the goals of registration and customer satisfaction.


• 
  
  New staff can immediately learn their jobs, because the details are in writing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How these benefits are provided by the standard ISO 9001

• 
  
  Provides the means for staff to perform their tasks right the first time.
  By providing the appropriate resources, training, instructions and the right environment, motivation and controls (clause 6). 

• 
  
  Provides the means for identifying the right tasks and specifying them in a way that will yield the right results.
  By advance planning and putting in place procedures, standards and guidelines which help staff to choose the right thing to do (clause 4.1, 7.1, 7.5).


• 
  
  Provides means for documenting the company's experience in a structured manner and thus establishing a basis for educating and training staff and the systematic improvement of performance.
  By providing an authorized set of documented practices (quality manual, procedures, work instructions, etc.), that reflect the business and that are continually reviewed and maintained (clause 4.1, 4.2 and 6.2)


• 
  
  Provides objective evidence that can be used to demonstrate the quality of the company's products and services, and that its operations are under control to assessors, customer's representatives, etc.
  By identifying, producing and maintaining records of key operations (clause 4.2.4).


• 
  
  Reduces fire fighting and thus frees managers from having to intervene constantly in Business operations.
  By giving staff the means to control their own operations (clause 4.1, 7.1, 7.5).


• 
  
  Helps in maintaining consistency in the quality of products or services.
  By identifying any nonconformity or deviation and taking appropriate corrective and preventive actions (clause 8.3, 8.5.2, 8.5.3).


• 
  
  Brings clarity and transparency to duties and responsibilities.
  By defining job requirement (specification), delegating authority identifying the responsibility of each key person (clause 5.5.1).


• 
  
  Improves traceability.
  Material can be traced at any stage, from procurement to every stage of processing and final delivery to customer (clause 7.5.3).