ISO originated from the union of two organisations – the ISO (International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations) and the UNSCC (United Nations Standard Coordinating Committee).
In 1946 over 25 countries met at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London to create a new international organisation, where the objective was to ‘facilitate the international coordination and unification of industrial standards’ From this the new organisation ISO began operations in February 1947. The word ISO is derived from the Greek ISOS meaning ‘equal’.
As the International Organization for Standardization would translate differently across different languages it was decided that the short form name for the organisation would be ISO.
Today the ISO has grown to a confederation of delegates representing over 150 countries and has published over 16,500 international standards. They meet on a regular basis to further develop new and existing management standards.
Each standard supports its own benefits within every industry, however the common benefits across the certifications include: widened market potential, compliance to procurement tenders, improved efficiency and cost savings, higher level of customer service, and therefore satisfaction, and heightened staff moral and motivation.
By having a recognised management standard, it tells your customers that you are serious about their needs.
ISO Certification does NOT define the actual quality of your product or service. The standard helps you achieve consistent results and continually improve the process. Thus, if you can make a good product most of the time, this helps you make it all of the time. It’s just good business practices.
Miss Guidance:
“ISO Certified” is technically incorrect as it does not state which ISO standard you are certified too.
for example
Remember, when labelling a product or system as certified to an ISO standard:
Don’t say: “ISO certified” or “ISO certification”
DO say: “ISO 9001:2015 certified” or “ISO 9001:2015 certification”
Quality Management System (QMS).
ISO is focused on meeting customer expectations and delivering customer satisfaction so you must pay attention to the customer.
The ISO certification evaluates whether your Quality Management System is appropriate and effective, while forcing you to identify and implement improvements.
Continuous improvement assures your customers benefit by receiving products/services that meet their requirement, and that you deliver consistent performance. Internally, the organization will profit from increased job satisfaction, improved morale, and improved operational results (reduced scrap and increased efficiency). Meeting legal and regulatory requirements benefit the community.
Training:
Our Training Division supports our core services, which specialise in implementation, certification and continual auditing of ISO and BS-EN Management Standards.
As an independent organisation, we understand how important training is to a company and have seen first-hand the boost to morale, profits, customer satisfaction and employee loyalty. We are also aware that delivering high quality services, consistently, is a challenge for any organisation which is why we aim to make it easier for you.
As a company that values your employees, you are already aware of the return on investment you can experience with competence building. We ensure you build and maintain an ethos of excellence, enhancing your reputation with both your target market and future skilled employees.
Our courses are intensive but fully interactive sessions, which focus on the important element of training – the end application. We also provide on-site training to your staff covering any of the ISO and BS OHSAS training that we offer, as well as creating bespoke courses specific to the requirements or your business and industry.
Type of certification:
Testing and calibration performed using standard methods, non-standard methods, and laboratory-developed methods
Manage quality throughout the life cycle of a medical device
Describe languages in an internationally accepted way with this standard.
Avoid confusion when referring to world currencies with this standard.
Help your organization to operate in a socially responsible way with this standard.
Manage risks that could be negative for your company’s performance with this standard.
ISO’s standard for helping organizations manage their energy performance.
Inspire confidence in your food products with this family of standards.
Manage the social, economic and environmental impacts of your event with this standard.
Reduce workplace risks and create safer working environments.
Prevent, detect and address bribery.
Use an internationally accepted way to represent dates and times.
Avoid confusion when referring to countries and their subdivisions with this standard.
Choosing a certification body
When choosing a certification body, you should:
