Does My Business Need an ISO 9001 Certification?
Some people say that you must have an ISO 9001 certification if you want to have a successful manufacturing business. They’ll say that it is ‘required’ and that you won’t get anywhere without it. On the other hand, there are strong opponents of the certification that claim that it is losing recognition and prevalence in the manufacturing industry, and is ultimately a waste of your time and money.
Well, which one is it? We know you want a straightforward answer, but we believe that your business requires its own analysis in order to make a decision regarding ISO 9001. To apply a blanket statement to every company would be a mistake and a disservice to your own history and goals for the future. In this article, we will break down what components go into making this decision, and how exactly we can help. Before we do this, however, you might want a refresher on what it is and what the requirements entail. For a thorough summary of the necessary background information, read this article.
Is it right for me?
There are a handful of external and internal factors that you’ll need to consider before starting the ISO 9001 certification process. You have to reflect on the perspectives of your customers as well as how you want your company to operate from the inside. Let’s walk through a few of these crucial components.
External Improvements
Are you losing business because you are not ISO 9001 certified? If so, then this is a more straightforward deciding factor for you, and you won’t have to do an in-depth analysis before starting your certification. If most of your customers, or prospective customers, require this certification, then they have made the decision for you. These types of customers are looking to work with a company that has a certified Quality Management System (QMS) in place to ensure a consistent product and experience every time. The ISO 9001 certification tells them that you have gone through the audit process and currently uphold certain procedure requirements.
INTERNAL Improvements
At this point, you may have already determined that your customers aren’t requiring the certification. That means there would be no reason to get it, right? Well, that depends on whether you have an internal desire to improve as a team. Establishing a QMS to satisfy ISO 9001 requirements has the potential to increase productivity and efficiency. Implementing documentation for best practices means creating replicable processes for every part of your operation. Think of documentation as a way to hold your team to higher standards, because you can’t improve what you don’t measure. You’ll be able to meet company-wide goals quicker than without a QMS since expectations will be clearly defined for every employee. Instead of burning time and money attempting to diagnose an issue on your production floor, you can turn to your best practices and issue history and quickly resolve an issue you’ve seen before.
Potential Drawbacks
Giving you the advantages of ISO 9001 is not meant to persuade you for our benefit. We simply want to present you with the options and guide you on your way to growing your company in whichever way you believe fits your business model and vision for the future. We will tell you that completing an ISO 9001 certification audit takes time and a lot of work, and documentation practices must be continued year after year. It is estimated that the audit process can take around 3 – 6 months, depending on the size of your manufacturing business.
Contact us.
We have ISO experts ready to take on the certification challenge, so you don’t have to. Whether you need assistance in deciding if ISO 9001 is right for you or are ready to get the process started and want us to take the lead, contact us today.
