| ISO 9000 standards
for quality systems are issued by the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) in Switzerland. The standards are developed with international participation
of more then 50 countries.
The most popular standard of the ISO 9000 family
of standards is ISO 9001 with its latest revision ISO 9001:2000. Organizations with implemented ISO
9001
quality management systems can obtain certification - also called registration - of
their quality management system through a third party certification body
called Registrar. It is important to note that ISO 9001 does not certify
the quality of products or services. The certification only confirms that
the organization's quality management system meets the requirements of
ISO 9001. Any organization, with manufacturing or service activities, large,
medium size or small, can implement an ISO 9001 quality management system
and obtain certification.
As of December 31, 1999 a total of 340,000
certificates have been issued worldwide in 150 countries. The growing number
of organizations with certified ISO 9001 quality management systems confirms
the increasing popularity of ISO 9000 and ISO 9001.
In addition to the assurance that defined
quality requirements are met, the organization with an ISO 9001 quality
management system has usually a competitive advantage over non certified
competitors. |
