T.C.S. specializes in assisting companies requiring the ISO9000 Certification, by performing the following steps:
- Company selects a suitable Quality Registrar and makes an application for registration
- Registrar carries out a preliminary evaluation followed by a comprehensive on-site audit
- Company receives a certificate of registration
- Surveillance of the quality system maintenance ensues
The following two points should be noted about ISO-9000 Certification:
- The certification is done on a plant-by-plant basis; that is, a company or corporation may have several plants/facilities in one city or nationally and internationally, but only that particular plant or facility which implements the quality system, applies for certification and meets the specified requirements, will be awarded the certification status.
- Once awarded, the certification status is valid for a period of three years. However, throughout this period, the Registrar conducts a monitoring audit function and the company is obliged to provide to the Registrar documentary evidence of the maintenance of the quality level to which it has been accredited as well as copies of any revisions / changes made in the quality manual.
The process of registration/certification is not complicated but requires careful planning and preparation. The basic steps are as follows:
Review the existing quality system to identify:
- the stage and level of the total quality system functionally operating within the company
- the structure and format of the company's quality system vis-a-vis the format and guidelines outlined in ISO-9004
- the company's state of preparedness
- the format of the current internal quality system documentation, i.e., the quality manual, procedure manuals, work instructions, etc.
- Select the appropriate level, i.e., ISO-9001, ISO-9002, or ISO-9003, for registration
- Identify what needs to be done to be able to meet the requirements of the selected standard
- Conduct in-house awareness/training sessions
- Develop, compile or revise the quality system documentation vis-a-vis the chosen standard
- Conduct on-going quality audits
- Define, develop and implement new/revised quality system procedures and instructions
- Implement corrective actions
- Select a suitable Quality Registrar, make an application for registration and submit the quality manual for assessment
- Implement improvements recommended by the pre-assessment audit, if any
- Complete the total on-site audit/assessment process with the Registrar and meet all the specified requirements
- Obtain certification status
- Conduct frequent checks and maintain the certification status
