The ISO 9000 series is the international benchmark of quality for management systems and processes in a wide range of industries. Over 1 million businesses in 170 countries are accredited to ISO quality assurance standards.
In particular, ISO 9001 deals with quality management and customer service. It is the only one of the series that is applicable to any type of business, regardless of size or sector. This makes it a strong indicator of trust and a good facilitator of trade between businesses.
Adapting Standards
As global business practices change in response to market conditions and consumer demand, the ISO 9001 standards are periodically updated. The standards to which we have been certified to date were the 2008 standards. However, last autumn we upgraded to the more recent 2015 standards.
Although the ISO standards themselves are universal, the assessments take into account how these principles are applied in particular industries. Our assessment area, for instance, was tailored to the needs of engineering design, project management, prototype product manufacturing, subassembly and supply of engineering components for industrial sectors.
Demonstrating Compliance
To achieve the accreditation we had undergo a complete audit process that examined our approach to different areas of our business.
We were audited by Lloyd’s Register on the following areas:
- Our customer focus
- The skills and motivation of our management team
- The efficiency of our business processes
- Our strategy for process review and improvement
- Engagement of staff and other stakeholders
- Evidence based decision making
- Relationship management
For each area we had to analyse our current processes, giving a rationale for each and explaining how individual processes benefited our overall goals of efficiency, quality and customer service. We also had to demonstrate transparency, and the flexibility to accommodate feedback and improvement.
We are glad to say that we converted from the 2008 to the 2015 standards with zero non-conformances. Our company approval number is ISO 9001 – 0009877.
Find Out More
If you’d like to find out more about the ISO 9001 standards and how this affects our products and services, please give us a call today on +44 (0) 1926 499508.