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ISO 9000: Global Quality Standards for World Class Companies
Achieving compliance with the latest ISO 9000 series of international standards of quality
can boost your company's credibility with new customers—at home and abroad.
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Business New Haven
1/7/2002
By: Susan Cornell
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The International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, is the international agency for standardization, comprising the national standards bodies of 91 countries. ISO includes roughly 180 Technical Committees, each of which is responsible for one of the many areas of specialization ranging from a to z (or asbestos to zinc). ISO's purpose is twofold: (1) to promote the development of standardization to facilitate the international exchange of goods and services; and (2) to develop cooperation in economic, intellectual, scientific, and technological activity.
The ISO Technical Committee (ISO/TC176) was formed in the late seventies to develop uniform international quality assurance and quality management standards. The U.S. contributes to the development process through membership in ISO via ANSI (American National Standards Institute), and ASQ (American Society for Quality) administers on behalf of ANSI.
The ISO 9000 series is a set of three categories of international standards on quality assurance and quality management. The series is generic and applies to all types of products and services. Corporations around the world continue to assemble their quality systems around ISO requirements. Both large and small companies with international businesses perceive ISO 9000 as a route to improved competitiveness and open markets.
There are a number of benefits to implementing the series. For example, the standards help companies build quality into their products or services and avoid expensive after-the-fact inspections. Additionally, the number of audits customers perform on an operation may be reduced.
Programs such as the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the Deming Prize are also quality standards. But a business is unlikely to meet the expectations of such programs if it isn't already at least ISO compliant, if not fully certified. The ISO 9000 series of standards provides a solid foundation on which to build quality management and quality assurance systems so that a high level of success may ultimately be achieved. Further, the ISO 9000 series is the only internationally accepted system.
Alice Heist, Executive Director of the Connecticut Quality Council, explained, “It's really an international standard brought about to ensure that customers would have a foolproof way of establishing the quality of products they are receiving from their suppliers. It has become a tool for meeting the challenges of growth and demand for error-free operations. Many businesses require that their suppliers become ISO 9000 certified. It's like a yardstick. It allows you to address the needs of customers and acts as a viable living and evolving system internationally known and recognized. It adds credibility to a business.”
However, as Heist points out, “That's not to say you have to have it. There's an expense involved and some companies feel that they cannot afford to become certified. So, they just become compliant. They ask customers, 'Can you accept compliant?' and explain, 'We just don't have the certification."'
In fact, achieving certification is a more comprehensive process now than it was in the early 1990s. “There is a big difference in the 1994 version and the 2000 version that is now in place,” says Heist. “The 2000 version deals a lot more with the soft side of quality than before.” That puts greater emphasis on management responsibility and the quality system as a whole, including the required quality-related inspections, documented procedures for preventive action, and enhanced training programs. Heist believes that the 2000 version is better because it takes soft-side into effect – people and management.
The key differences between ISO 9000:1994 and the revised standard ISO 9000:2000 are:
People are competent rather than qualified, and the organization determines the necessary competence for those performing work affecting product quality;
Organizations must provide training or other actions to satisfy competency needs, and the training or actions must be evaluated for effectiveness;
Personnel in the organization must be aware of the relevance and importance of their activities and how they contribute to the achievement of the quality objectives; and,
Training records must be expanded to include education, skills, and experience.
While ISO 9000 registration is not a legal requirement for access to foreign markets, it can be beneficial. For many regulated products in the European Union (EU), ISO 9000 is an alternative for product certification. Outside of regulated product areas, the importance of registration as a competitive market tool varies according to sector. For example, in some sectors, European companies may require suppliers to have an approved quality system in place as a condition doing business.
Aerospace, autos, electronic components, and measuring and testing instruments are industries in which buyers are more likely to seek ISO 9000 registration. Registration can also provide a means of differentiating “classes” of suppliers, especially in high-tech areas where high product reliability is critical. ISO registration may also be a competitive factor in product areas where liability or safety is a concern. For example, if two or more suppliers are competing for a contract, the ISO 9000 registered bidder may have the competitive edge.
Jack Conti, Manager of Quality Assurance at Dresser Instruments, agrees. “We've been certified since 1994. As a manufacturing company, we view it as an important part of our business strategy both to improve quality internally and to reflect to our customers the quality of our products.”
For more about ISO 9000 training or certification call:
CONNSTEP: 1090 Elm Street, Rocky Hill
800-266-6672 www.connstep.org
Central Connecticut State University, Institute for Industrial and Engineering Technology (IIET): Richard Mullins, 860-827-4478
Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA): James Bell, 860-244-1978
Connecticut Quality Council at Rensselaer at Hartford (CQC): Alice Heist, 860-548-7879 or www.rh.edu/cqc
State of Connecticut, Department of Labor (www.state.ct.us/search.htm): Funding is available for ISO 9000 training. For referral to the Business Services Unit in your area, call CERC at 1-800-392-2122
US Department of Commerce, Export Assistance Center, Middletown: Carl Jacobsen, 860-638-6950 or www.ita.doc.gov/uscs/ct/middletown
Teikyo Post University, International Business Center: Nicolas Spina, 203-596-4681
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