ISO 9001 Certification - How and Where Do I Start?

Q

qaservices

I'm the number 2 man in a quality representation/sorting company for automotive suppliers. We've been able to keep rates low and gain business based on integrity and honesty working as almost a mom/pop type business. We've now been asked by one of our customers to become ISO certified. Our president and business manager are in one state, almost by them selves, while we have reps in 5 states and Canada. We have sorting in 3 states and Canada. Where does our certification happen and how complicated does these aspects of our business make it to get certified?

We have no office/warehouse as we work inside our customer locations and run paperwork through our presidents home.
 

Coury Ferguson

Moderator here to help
Trusted Information Resource
Re: Help; How/Where Do I Start

I'm the number 2 man in a quality representation/sorting company for automotive suppliers. We've been able to keep rates low and gain business based on integrity and honesty working as almost a mom/pop type business. We've now been asked by one of our customers to become ISO certified. Our president and business manager are in one state, almost by them selves, while we have reps in 5 states and Canada. We have sorting in 3 states and Canada. Where does our certification happen and how complicated does these aspects of our business make it to get certified?

We have no office/warehouse as we work inside our customer locations and run paperwork through our presidents home.

Consider the following:

Is the effort really worth it?

I would ask the Customer, why they feel we need to be Registered.

It can be done, most likely using the Multiple Site registration. See the following threads, that might help:

ISO 9000 in Mom and Pop Shops - What are the simple concepts?

ISO 9K2K documentation (records) for small scale tool rooms or job shops

I would also suggest that you do a search. This has been addressed in a lot of places here in the Cove.
 
Q

qaservices

Re: Help; How/Where Do I Start

Here is the reason I ask coming from my customers e mail;
"Reason I ask there is a TS requirement for suppliers that affect product quality to be ISO certified."

We would preffer to stay a small mom/pop shop passing the savings of not going through certification along to our customers. With that said I think having this certification would open us up to more customers while also gaining access to the OEM preffered supplier list.

Would we need multi site certification or could just our main office be certified. Example; while working for a very large company I performed this same job. My documents, tools and labels were never subject to audit since I was never located directly in the office.

Thank you also for the threads I have reviewed one of them and will review the other but so far no thread has really pointed me in the right direction.

1 last dumb question; Although you can see I don't know how to get certified this will sound really dumb, is there on line courses for not only learing ISO but also becoming an auditor. If I have to learn it I may as well learn it all and offer it as another one of our service.

Thanks,
Mark
 

Coury Ferguson

Moderator here to help
Trusted Information Resource
Re: Help; How/Where Do I Start

Here is the reason I ask coming from my customers e mail;
"Reason I ask there is a TS requirement for suppliers that affect product quality to be ISO certified."

We would preffer to stay a small mom/pop shop passing the savings of not going through certification along to our customers. With that said I think having this certification would open us up to more customers while also gaining access to the OEM preffered supplier list.

Would we need multi site certification or could just our main office be certified. Example; while working for a very large company I performed this same job. My documents, tools and labels were never subject to audit since I was never located directly in the office.

Thank you also for the threads I have reviewed one of them and will review the other but so far no thread has really pointed me in the right direction.

1 last dumb question; Although you can see I don't know how to get certified this will sound really dumb, is there on line courses for not only learing ISO but also becoming an auditor. If I have to learn it I may as well learn it all and offer it as another one of our service.

Thanks,
Mark

Mark,

There are no dumb questions here. The only dumb question would be the one that wasn't asked. There are a lot of experts here in the Cove that will be able to help.

I see, you are located in the NE, I would check with the Local ASQ chapter and see what training is coming up for Internal Auditing and familiarization with ISO9001.

The first thing I would recommend, is purchase a copy of the ISO Series. Review the requirements in ISO9001 and review the guidelines in ISO9004.

To offer auditing as a service would not be a bad idea, however, you would need to become a Certified Lead Assessor (IRCA or RABxx) in the beginning.
 

AndyN

Moved On
Re: ISO Certification - Help; How/Where Do I Start?

QA:

Good advice from Coury, however, I'd suggest still going back to your customer and asking if they really need you to be certified. The emphasis on suppliers in ISO/TS 16949 is on those that directly affect product quality - more so in the material terms than in the services that are applied. Since you are sorting (product quality) after the fact, then you don't really affect quality, it's already affected, you're another set of hands to 'disposition' what's suspect.

Now, if you see a good business reason and you can use certification to build the business, get on 'approved suppliers' lists and so forth. Go for it.

The best place to start is with a plan! I'd get some guidance and I know a whole group of consultants who can help, as well as those here and just using the Cove.

The registration is not at difficult as it sounds, and a local CB is going to kep your costs down, too. Mine is based in Acton, MA. They will spend some time at you office and want to (at least) sample the people at a customer site, periodically.

Any more questions?
 

CarolX

Trusted Information Resource
Re: Help; How/Where Do I Start

1 last dumb question

Thanks,
Mark

Mark - there are no dumb questions!!!

Try a search on the cove for "service" under the 9K2K forum. This is really where you fall in the grand scope of things. You do not provide a product, but a service to your customers. Location doesn't matter.

For example - the man who calibrates my surface plate has been registered to ISO-17025. He works out of his home - travel to his clients facilities and performs a service.

Hope this helps a bit.
 
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