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Quality Certification
Today, more than 20,000 Australian organisations are assessed against the quality benchmark each year and almost 1,000,000 world-wide, highlighting the value in this globally attractive ‘transaction passport’.
ISO 9001:2008 will be the fourth edition of the ISO 9001 standard series which was originally issued in 1987. Unlike the 2000 revision of the standard, ISO 9001:2008 does not make any major changes to the standard, rather it refines and clarifies the ISO 9001:2000 standard and aligns it with the environmental management systems ISO 14001:2004 standard.
Once considered only applicable to factories and production centres, the ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems (QMS) Standard now has widespread international acceptance as the quality benchmark for all types of organisations.
Quality Systems are well proven as a fundamental tool for reducing waste and enterprise risk while increasing customer confidence and business performance through continual improvement. However, full realisation of these benefits, along with the associated marketing advantage, only comes with independent verification by an accredited certification body such as NCS International.
The assessment and certification process provides an organisation’s management with an independent expert review, not only of compliance with the ISO 9001 Standard, but also of areas within the business that can be improved. On-going audits and re-assessment builds on this advantage to give your business a competitive edge.
The benefits of a quality management system
There are many reasons why organisations choose to implement a quality management system. Often improving their position in the market is one of the primary driving factors. Once a quality management system is in place, organisations realise that there are numerous internal benefits which are as important as the external ones. Some of the benefits of a fully certified quality management system include:
- Consistency:
A well implemented quality management system can increase the efficiency in the organisation and promote consistency in the level of work which is produced. This work can also be consistent across all areas of staff as there are processes and proceedures that govern how each task is completed.
- Due diligence:
A quality management system helps demonstrate that management is meeting its legal responsibilities and is doing so effectively. An effective quality management system can be used in court cases as a defence.
- Consultation:
A systematic approach to processes ensures that employees and other stakeholders are involved in the business and are aware of documentation issues before they become much larger problems.
- Cost efficiencies:
A well-functioning quality management system will deliver long term cost efficiencies. Think about the time and resources your organisation can save by having clearly defined processes that all staff can easily access and follow.
Competitive advantage
Having a fully certifed quality management system in place can often mean the difference between winning a tender and losing it. As with many other organisations, state and federal governments have now utilised the qualification as a key differentiator in the selection processes for tenders.
Certification Standards:
Click on the headings below to find out more information about the particular standard.
The assessment and certification process provides an organisation’s management with an independent expert review, not only of compliance with the ISO 9001 Standard, but also of areas within the business that can be improved. On-going audits and re-assessment builds on this advantage to give your business a competitive edge.
The Australian Market & Social Research Standard (AS/NZS ISO 20252, or commonly, ISO 20252) was published by Standards Australia in January 2007, replacing the earlier Standard AS 4752.
ISO 27001 is a practical, internationally recognised benchmark that relies on assessing and managing risk to manage information and asset security. The system, as with all systems should be implemented to reflect the needs of your organisation and consider the current processes, size and structure. The identification and rating of threats and vulnerabilities (including logistics, servers, network management and third parties such as contractors, internet service providers and HR), are a key underlying requirement of the standard.
Quality Management Systems, customised to meet the challenging needs of organisations in the disability sector, provides organisations the correct framework for continual improvement to their clients and for their staff.
ISO/TS 16949 is focused on the development of a quality management system that provides for continual improvement, highlighting prevention, consistency and the reduction of waste. TS 16949 applies to a number of various industries servicing the automotive industry including design, manufacturing, installation and servicing.
AS 8000, based around ISO 9001, revolves around the principles of good corporate governance and is designed to assist members of boards, chief executive officers and senior managers to develop, implement and maintain a robust system of governance that fits the particular circumstances of the entity, provide the mechanisms for an entity to establish and maintain an ethical culture through a committed, self-regulatory approachm and provide shareholders, or stakeholders, as the case may be, with benchmarks against which to gauge the entity’s performance.
AS9100 is a quality management system designed for the aerospace industry. Released in 1999, by the Society of Automotive Engineers and the European Association of Aerospace Industries it has been quickly adopted by companies supplying to the aerospace industry, and the industry more broadly. The standard is a result of a number of competing industry standards being united into one uniform standard.
Risk management involves managing to achieve an appropriate balance between realizing opportunities for gains while minimizing losses. It is an integral part of good management practice and an essential element of good corporate governance.
BS 25999 is the relevant standard in the field of Business Continuity Management (BCM). This standard replaces PAS 56. It was first published in December 2006. BS 25999 is a Business Continuity Management (BCM) standard in two parts – a guidance document and a document that outlines actual requirements.
TruckSafe is a business and risk management system, which is aimed at improving the safety and professionalism of trucking operator's nation wide.
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