What it means to be ISO 9000 Certified.By Anthony Nurre, Yusuf GunamanDennis De-AlmeidaSeptember 22, 2000In today's global economy the barriers of trade have been knocked down. Companies haveincreased their level of performance in order to survive today’s aggressive environment. In orderto stay competitive, companies must apply effective and efficient plans. The most accepted plantoday is the ISO 9000. It is a set of standards that help companies achieve cost effective andquality assurance methods. This paper will explain what ISO 9000 is and what it means to acompany to be ISO 9000 certified.What is ISO?ISO is an International Organization for Standards that was formed by technical committees.They provide user-friendly guidelines for a wide range of organizations. Examples of theseorganizations include manufacturing, processing, servicing, printing, forestry, and electronics(www.connect.ab.ca/~praxiom/into.htm). ISO was established in 1947, in Switzerland, with thepurpose of developing intellectual, scientific, technological, and economic corporation betweenmember countries (Bureau of Business Practice). Later in 1979 the ISO Technical Committee(ISO/TC 176) was formed to make a set of guidelines that would bring together and standardizeworld industries. ISO has affiliates in more than 90 countries. It is interesting to note that ISOcomes from the Greek word “isos” which means “same as.” The words “same as” can be impliedto mean the consumer gets what the consumer expects. In our quality assurance class we havelearned that if the consumer gets what they expect, this is consider quality. Therefore, the rootword ISO stands for quality.What is ISO 9000?ISO 9000 is a set of five International Standards for Quality Assurance.• ISO 9000 contains guidelines for the other four standards.• ISO 9001 is intended for suppliers who do a lot of design or customization.• ISO 9002 involves standards for both production and installation.• ISO 9003 is guidelines for final test and inspection.• ISO 9004 is designed to help managers develop a substantial quality system(Bureau of Business Practice).The ISO 9000 standards are not rules, but merely a set of guidelines that organize their processesand make it more cost effective (www.isoeasy.org).How does the series on 9000 work?As businesses change and become more complex, ISO has adapted to meet these demands. ISOhas come up with 9001, 9002, 9003 etc. to cover different aspects of the business.Figure 1: Brief explanation of ISO 9000 series.The table explains the difference between the series and what they objectives are. Companieschoose which series they use based on the scope of their operation (www.asq.org). Even theUnited States government has adopted ISO standards with the ANSI/ASQC Q9000 series.What is the difference between ISO 9000 and Other Quality Control Awards.The purpose behind these awards is to bring total quality to a product. By following the ISO9000 guidelines, companies will have an excellent start on quality assurance models. Forexample, companies that have previously received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awardhave applied those criteria to their operations. However, those companies who have applied theISO 9000 guidelines into their operations have reaped additional benefits. By applying bothcriteria to their operations, companies are able to achieve total quality (Bureau of BusinessPractice). The foundation that ISO 9000 provides will better prepare companies for thoseQuality Control Awards.So, what does it mean to be ISO certified?Often companies become ISO certified because customers require it. For example, a lot ofcustomers in Europe demand ISO 9000 approval. Where some companies miss out is when theyonly get ISO 9000 certified for marketing reasons. The ISO 9000 standards improve operatingprocedure and reduce cost. Being ISO certified means that companies operate using the ISOguideline. When companies advertise the fact that they are ISO certified, it has been proven tobe a very powerful marketing tool for them. When customers know that their product is ISO9000 certified they feel assured that their product is what they expect. These stamp of ISO 9000approval, lets customers know what to expect, thus they get a quality product. The standards setby ISO 9000 insure a dependable Quality Assurance system. Additionally, any company thatdoes business in Europe knows that customers are demanding products be ISO 9000 certified.As worldwide customers demand ISO 9000 standards, ISO 9000 will become more prevalent. Asmore international companies come into the market, this will make companies more competitive.The increase in competition will improve the quality and decrease cost of the product, thuscreating a better environment for the consumer.What are some examples of ISO 9000 uses in Industry?Measurement and calibration is one of the most important elements in quality assurance. ISO9001-9003 lay down some procedures to be followed when selecting, using, calibrating,controlling, and maintaining measurement standards for measuring equipment. For instance, ISOspecifies that each instrument must have a label to show calibration status, usage limits, and anyinstrument that has failed or suspected to be out of calibration. If an instrument fails thisspecification, it must be withdrawn from use and labeled conspicuously to prevent accidental use(Morris 10). The procedures in ISO 9001-90003 can be used to ensure the quality of theirproducts. It also states that all calibration procedures must be documented, all personnelperforming calibration function must have adequate training, and adjustable devices must besealed to prevent tampering (Morris 9). These stated procedures are intended to prevent errorsthat are caused by operators. The procedures also improve the confidence level of the data. Byimproving the confidence level of the data, companies will be able to see when a problemappears in production within a short period of time. Fast response time to problems will equalmore profit for the company.What are the disadvantages of ISO 9000?Many companies are ISO 9000, but there are some companies that choose not to be certified. Aspreviously stated, ISO 9000 is a stead of guidelines. These guidelines are implemented intocompanies operations. However, there are reasons why companies would not be ISO.• The actual change of operations can be very expensive. Usually