Using the ISO 9001

When it comes to meeting the quality expectations of our customers, it can be quite challenging. The ISO 9001 is a set of quality standards that has been laid-out by the International Organization for Standardization. The ISO 9001 has specific rules manufacturing companies must meet in order to motivate change within their organization. Some of the standards include the following:

• Establishing procedures that cover all the key manufacturing processes


• Monitoring the processes to check for product variations


• Maintaining accurate records


• Checking for defects and taking corrective action when defects are identified


• Regular review of the quality system to ensure that the products produced are effective


• Constant improvement within the company

ISO 9001 certification is important in today's fast-paced manufacturing world. Companies that use the ISO 9001 often get certified because their customers require it. Some industries actually require companies to get certified. Getting certified increases your customer satisfaction and it improves your company image. It will help to increase your sales and it can provide you with extra negotiating room with vendors.

ISO 9001 certification can help you determine if the products and services you receive from your vendors are quality. Having your certification provides you with an extra level of trust that some people need in order to do business with your company. Having your ISO 9001 certification holds your entire company to a higher level of quality.

Like other manufacturing processes, ISO 9001 certification means your company will take the quality standards one level higher. It is part of the Plan-Do-Check-Act continuous process cycle because you spend more time on the process to ensure that everything is correct. There are 8 different tools you need to use when you implement the ISO 9001 quality standards with Plan-Do-Check-Act, they are as follows:
1. Customer focus - This deals with meeting the expectations of the customer and making sure the product does not have defects.
2. Leadership - Proper leadership is a must-have as the program will fail without it. Managers are in charge of the implementation and success of the program through updates, suggestions, and constant supervision.
3. Involvement of Employees - Use your employees to their highest potential possible. Provide them with additional responsibilities that will help to improve the quality of the products you send out the door. Employees are an integral part of the system because they have direct contact with the customers and can influence the customer's opinions.
4. Process Approach - The process approach refers to the way your systems are currently running. You need to establish goals for your process approach to make sure you are saving money and producing the highest-quality materials.
5. Systems Approach to Management - This step refers to the communication within the company. Mangers must be fully involved in the systems in order to meet the quality standards of the company and the customers.
6. Continuous Improvement - To combat waste, many companies implement continuous improvement strategies that focus on improving the entire system by reducing wastes and cycle time variations. Scorecards and statistical quality control are used within continuous improvement.
7. Factual approach to decision making - This step involves using statistics to come up with goals and to create a waste-free environment. Using a factual approach reduces wasted time on decisions that do not work properly.
8. Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationship - In order for lean manufacturing to work properly, you need to develop solid relationships with your suppliers. Since inventory is wasteful, your suppliers are the individuals that will help you manage your customer needs in a timely manner. Work on building a beneficial relationship with your suppliers to boost your income.