Does accreditation add value to business?

[betterlife]

A comapny doing business of providing products or services, for assuring its customers, takes third-party certification from a Certification Body (CB). Thereafter it interacts with the CB on regular basis. At no time in this process the company interacts with the Accreditation Body (AB).

The certification given by CB may be under accreditation of some AB or without any such accreditation. Does it make any difference in relation to value addition to the company's business? I BELIEVE ACCREDITATION DOES NOT ADD ANY VALUE TO COMPANY'S BUSINESS AND IT IS ONLY PAYING MORE CERTIFICAION FEE.

Comments are invited from learned members.

[Ederie]

Like anything in life - you only get out of it, what you put into it.

[Randy]

Whatever you're paying for your certification I'll sell you a cheaper one through an Arkansas based corporation.

That's basically all you're doing, buying your cert.

Accreditation adds value and bears with it a guaranteed level of trust and integrity.

In the end the cheaper one may be more expensive.

[Sidney Vianna]

Originally Posted by betterlife

A comapny doing business of providing products or services, for assuring its customers, takes third-party certification from a Certification Body (CB). Thereafter it interacts with the CB on regular basis. At no time in this process the company interacts with the Accreditation Body (AB).
The certification given by CB may be under accreditation of some AB or without any such accreditation. Does it make any difference in relation to value addition to the company's business? I BELIEVE ACCREDITATION DOES NOT ADD ANY VALUE TO COMPANY'S BUSINESS AND IT IS ONLY PAYING MORE CERTIFICAION FEE.
Comments are invited from learned members.

You have to remember that certification to a Standard such as ISO 9001 is, probably, more relevant to the certified organization's customers than the certified organization themselves. Accreditation (BY A REPUTABLE AB) would, in principle, provide confidence to the organization's customers about that certificate. As I mentioned several times, most organizations are oblivious to the "pedigree" of their suppliers certs. Accreditation being one ignored issue. Actually, here in the US, there is a very well known CB, fully accredited, issuing a high percentage of their certs WITHOUT an accreditation mark.
As long as "customers" remain ignorant about the (potential) value of accreditation, we will have this concern.

[Hershal]

Let me throw a spin into this not originally asked.....there are two basic types of accrediting bodies (lots of differences beyond the very basic).....

The IAF accrediting bodies and the ILAC accrediting bodies.....

ILAC and IAF are cooperating (using the term loosely).....

IAF bodies accredit 9K (and related) registrars.....ILAC bodies accredit laboratories and inspection bodies.....

In theory (I am unaware of any real examples however) an accredited inspection body could offer an ISO 9001 certificate since they are at the same heirarchal level as a registrar.

However, the real difference is.....in some fields of endeavour accreditation of laboratories is almost table stakes.....where appropriate officials look for the approved mark or report.....or the accreditation logo on calibration certificates.

Some examples in North America of the ILAC accrediting bodies include IAS, A2LA, SCC, and NVLAP.

Just pointing out that differences exist..........

Hershal

[Sidney Vianna]

Originally Posted by Hershal

IAF bodies accredit 9K (and related) registrars.....ILAC bodies accredit laboratories and inspection bodies.....

In theory (I am unaware of any real examples however) an accredited inspection body could offer an ISO 9001 certificate since they are at the same heirarchal level as a registrar.

However, the real difference is.....

Many IAF signatory AB's also accredit inspection bodies and testing and calibration labs. For example UKAS http://www.ukas.com/about_accreditat..._schedules.asp
http://www.ukas.com/dotorgredirect.asp

In theory, ANYBODY can issue an ISO 9001 certificate, but in order to do it so, under an accredited scheme, you got go through the proper process.

In my view point, the real difference is semantics. Lab accreditation is really the basic same process as a management system certification. So, if we were to follow the ISO definition, lab accreditation should be really called lab certification.

[Hershal]

Originally Posted by Sidney Vianna

In my view point, the real difference is semantics. Lab accreditation is really the basic same process as a management system certification. So, if we were to follow the ISO definition, lab accreditation should be really called lab certification.

Actually, that is not correct.....for a registrar to become accredited perhaps.....but having gone through numerous 9K audits at my previous employer, and now conducting accreditation assessments.....the two are significantly different.....

There is the QMS portion, and like 9K - in theory - anyone can learn that.....HOWEVER the difference is the technical side which does not exist in the same way for 9K and related.....for example, the background for a 9K manufacturing audit does not require someone with that specific background or training, but for test or cal labs and for inspection bodies it does.....

As an example, lots of folks here are great at what they do and could easily audit the QMS but would need significant training to assess the technical portion of say, a fire lab or wood lab or cal lab, under ISO/IEC 17025.....

You are right, numerous IAF bodies also accredit labs and inspection bodies, but almost without exception they are the National accrediting body and are ALSO recognized through ILAC and/or a region.....UKAS is a good example of that.

Hope this helps.

Hershal

[Randy Stewart]

This may be a spin on the "adds value" but our lab now brings in money for the tests performed. Additionally, it has become a true selling point for our company.