The Link Between ISO 9001 Certification And Service/Product Reliability
Businesses may have heard about ISO 9001 certification and might have even considered becoming certified in the past. For whatever reason, these businesses might have decided against certification. In most cases, it’s because they don’t see the tangible evidence for ISO 9001 certification making a difference to a business’s products or services. While it can be difficult for the non-specialist to spot, ISO certification does help businesses a lot. Despite the claims, is there any objective evidence that shows a positive link between business performance and ISO 9001 certification?
What Is ISO 9001 Certification?
We’ve already covered ISO 9001 in our previous blogs. To recap, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) mentions that ISO 9001 certification sets the criteria for establishing a quality management system within the company. The establishment of this system, it is claimed, will help a business be surer of its products and services. At its heart, it focuses on the business’s responsibility to the consumer. The certification process allows the company to examine its processes and products to ensure that its quality remains constant throughout the business’s lifetime. Achieving certification doesn’t mean the enterprise can relax, however. The ISO certification needs to be renewed ever so often to ensure that the business doesn’t lapse in its responsibility to the end-user.
Does It Make Any Difference?
Over the years, companies have applied to and achieved ISO 9001 certification but have not felt any difference in their business processes. They may have seen better customer acceptance of their products and a more substantial market presence, but they might have overlooked these apparent benefits without anything to compare them to.
The January 2021 issue of the journal Heliyon addresses this in a study that examines the relationship between ISO 9001:2015 certification and business performance for a manufacturing company in the developing world. The paper mentions a noticeable lack of research into ISO 9001 certification in this particular industry and its ability to make a business more competitive. In undertaking the study, they covered fifty (50) companies and used them as a representative sample size.
The results showed a significant and noticeable improvement in companies’ operational and business performance that had implemented the certification against those that hadn’t. However, it did note that, in this particular locale, the most significant hurdle businesses faced was finding competent staff that could implement the guidelines of ISO 9001 effectively. Inadequate training and a lack of qualified personnel is a genuine hurdle to overcome. These issues were further exacerbated by a lack of commitment from upper management towards establishing and improving the QMS.
Why Establish a QMS?
A typical question that businesses ask is why they should even bother to set up a QMS system. The ISO 9001 standard helps a business put together an infrastructure for ensuring quality in their products and services. Aside from making a business competitive internationally, it allows a company to gauge itself based on the performance of other businesses in the industry worldwide. Locally, a company that states it’s ISO 9001 certified shows that it is as good as any international company when it comes to its products or services. This distinction shouldn’t be underplayed, since it grants an edge against the competition.
What Is The Solution?
Developing ISO 9001 certification is laudable, but only if properly implemented. Finding the proper process towards reaching ISO 9001 certification is not something that happens overnight. Luckily, Sync Resource has been in the business of securing ISO 9001 certification for clients for years. We know what works and what doesn’t and can even help a company define its problems and overcome them through dedicated effort. If your business is seeking ISO 9001 certification, contact Sync Resource today to access trained and qualified professionals to help you in your journey.
