Acquiring and Maintaining ISO Technical Quality Standards

Abstract

Abstract Certification to the internationally accepted ISO Series 9000 quality standards is perceived as being compulsory for companies wishing to participate in the "Harmonized Europe," which is to be effective Jan. 1, 1993. Universally, the demand for certification to ISO 9000 has grown tremendously in recent years. This demand has created a quasi-partnership between the certified company and the certifying agency, both of which have progressed steadily up the learning curve in the implementation and maintenance of an accredited quality program. This paper describes the certification (registration) process from the vantage point of both a registered company and the certifying agency. The establishment of a procedure structure will be discussed, along with the document preparation and review, common oversights, the initial preparation and review, common oversights, the initial registration audit and the renewal audits. The tangible benefits derived from ISO certification, such as less nonconformance, identification of areas needing improvement and the company-wide culture change it fosters also will be examined. The role of ISO certification in laying the groundwork for a Total Quality Management (TQM) program will be discussed. Introduction The 12 member countries of the European Community (EC) have adopted the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) series 9000 standards for certifying the quality systems of European companies, including those marketing oilfield equipment and services. These nations are pursuing an assortment of quality standardization initiatives in preparation for the unified market to be effective at the beginning of next year. As part of these initiatives, the EC also is working toward part of these initiatives, the EC also is working toward harmonized technical specifications that would govern the quality of all products and services traded across community borders when the single market takes effect. Geared for all industrial enterprises, the ISO essentially encompasses a worldwide federation of National Standards Bodies comprised of members who are representative of nations throughout the world. Normally, preparing international standards is undertaken through ISO Technical Committees, which are established by request from ISO member bodies. The committees adopt draft ISO standards to be circulated to member bodies for approval before acceptance as ISO standards by the ISO council. Technical Committee TC-176, Quality Assurance, was established in 1985 for creating a standard for quality systems. From this committee came the five standards in the ISO series - ISO 9000, ISO 9001, ISO 9002, ISO 9003, and ISO 9004. The ISO series standards for quality systems were issued in 1987. In order to standardize and harmonize the procedure by which products will flow within the EC, the European Commission has written a policy on conformity assessment, including the testing and certification of products and quality systems. The commission's initial products and quality systems. The commission's initial intent is to address "Regulated Products," which are those that have a direct bearing on health, safety and environment. The policy suggests a modular approach to the assessment of conformity of the regulated products. P. 487