Maritime Quality Consultants, Inc. |
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INTRODUCTION TO ISO AND ISO
9001 |
The International
Organization for Standardization, established in 1946, has developed a number of standards
used worldwide for manufacturing, trade and communications. Each standard is
prefixed with the term "ISO" because ISO is Greek for "equal." A
standard, therefore, means the details of design and construction of product are made the
same so that it will be able to be used by anyone else following the same standard. |
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Standards have been used for years
in manufacturing, the hardware side of management. The benefits of working to these
standards influenced companies to ask the experts to draft a standard for business
management, the software side of management. In 1979, an international committee of
quality experts began working on quality management standards for worldwide application. |
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The ISO 9000 series of standards was
first published in 1987. They have since been updated so that we are now working to
the 2000 version. At present, the ISO 9000 standard is recognized in over
140 countries and over 500,000 have been certified. |
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ISO
9000 is an
internationally recognized model for quality management which can be implemented by any
company in any industry. The Standard is written in very general terms and based on
common sense business management. It contains nothing new or revolutionary. |
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While the Standard is written in
terms of a manufacturing company, it can be applied to a service company as well.
Many marine companies such as Ship Managers, Agents, Marine Surveyors and Consultants, and
Stevedoring companies are becoming certified to ISO 9000. |
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PURPOSE OF
IMPLEMENTING A QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM |
Certification to ISO
9000 gives a
company an internationally recognized mark indicating the company has implemented and is
maintaining a Quality Management system. Possessing this certification gives the
company's customers added confidence in the company's ability to provide a consistently
high level of customer satisfaction. |
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The popularity of ISO
9000 is
increasing as more and more companies implement Quality Management and reap the benefits
that follow. Many companies, after implementing their own Quality Management System,
require their prime suppliers and subcontractors to also become certified. |
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TEN STEP PROCESS
FOR ISO 9001 IMPLEMENTATION |
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- Assign a member of management as champion.
- Decide to handle in-house or employ consultants.
- Define and document your critical activities.
- Review and approve all levels of documentation.
- Train personnel and implement the system.
- Train internal auditors and begin internal audits.
- Hold Management Review Meetings.
- Select a Registrar and schedule certification audit.
- Hold a Mock Audit to ensure systems are ready.
- Undergo a certification audit by Registrar.
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BENEFITS OF CERTIFICATION |
Companies who have installed a Quality Management System
achieve the following benefits: |
Improved management control/planning.
Improved efficiency/productivity.
Greater consistency across the
organization.
Improved customer service.
Reduced rework/costs.
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| Let Maritime Quality Consultants, Inc. assist you in developing your
Management System. We can provide a simple manual that complies with all
requirements and is easy to implement. We can also train your staff in implementing
the System. |
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