ISO 9001:2008 Logo on objects/documents/brochures/logos where we advertise

[KatyKat]

Hello All,
I am wondering if the year needs to be on all of the objects/documents/brochures/logos where we advertise my company's ISO 9001 certified status?

We were told by an Auditor that we only should have "ISO 9001 certified" on things like our painted company van's and on our logo on our doors and such. But myunderstanding is that a company is specifically "ISO 9001:2008" certificated and when the new 2015 comes out we will specifically be "ISO 9001:2015" certified, which means any advertising for our certification should say the year.

Obviously it would make me a very happy person if we didn't need to have the year since that would cut down on costs of updating things every 4 years, but i really don't want to create things incorrectly and then have to change them later due to non-compliance.

 

[Wilderness Woody]

Follow the ISO guide...

https://www.iso.org/iso/publicizing_iso9001_iso14001_certification_2010.pdf

This tells you what is allowed and preferred.

 

[Jim Wynne]

ISO suggests that the year should be used, but I think it's bad advice for things like trucks other things where it's difficult or impractical to change. You cannot be certified to anything other than a current version of ISO 9001, so if your trucks say you're certified to ISO 9001, anyone who knows what that means should know that you're current. I occasionally see trucks that say "ISO 9001:2000 Certified," and not long ago I saw one that said "QS 9000 Registered."

 

[Reg Morrison]

I am wondering if the year needs to be on all of the objects/documents/brochures/logos where we advertise my company's ISO 9001 certified status?

Don't let ISO, an auditor or a registrar make those decisions on your behalf. ISO would love for people around the world to think that the edition of the standard is important. It isn't.

It is YOUR marketing, your promotion. Do as you please, as long as you don't infringe on misuse of trademarks.

 

[Big Jim]

Someone from a CB may want to weigh in here. I'll explain what I understand.

CBs are required to provide requirements for use of certification marks, including the ISO terminology as well as the use of the CB seal and the AB seals.

Auditors are required to check on the use of the marks.

Some CBs don't take this responsibility seriously. When I have recommended that a consulting client ask their CB for a copy of the document the CB is required to have developed, they have always been able to obtain one.

Roughly a year ago, I noticed in the document provided by one of the CBs that the year no longer needs to be included and was specifically so stated in the document.

It appears that the ISO web site does not reflect that change yet as shown on the link someone else provided.

I'm sure that the CB did not make it up, as they also state that they would prefer that the date be included. I don't know if this was ISO driven or AB driven, but I'm sure it came from one or the other or both.

So to the OP, I strongly suggest that you ask your CB and also ask for their document that explains the proper use of the certification marks.

 

[Reg Morrison]

CBs are required to provide requirements for use of certification marks, including the ISO terminology as well as the use of the CB seal and the AB seals.

Auditors are required to check on the use of the marks.

But the question was about the words ISO 9001:2008, not a certification mark. These are two separate things.

 

[Big Jim]

Certification marks INCLUDE the use of the term "ISO 9001:2008 Certified". Certification marks are NOT LIMITED to the CB and AB logos. Sometimes they are also referred to a Registration Marks, but the effective meaning is the same.

 

[Reg Morrison]

Certification marks MIGHT include or not those words. See this example.

As I said before, if an organization wants to paint their exterior building wall, place a sticker on their vehicles or tattoo it on the CEO's forehead with the words ISO 9001 certified, it's nobody else's business.

 

[Helmut Jilling]

Hello All,
I am wondering if the year needs to be on all of the objects/documents/brochures/logos where we advertise my company's ISO 9001 certified status?

We were told by an Auditor that we only should have "ISO 9001 certified" on things like our painted company van's and on our logo on our doors and such. But myunderstanding is that a company is specifically "ISO 9001:2008" certificated and when the new 2015 comes out we will specifically be "ISO 9001:2015" certified, which means any advertising for our certification should say the year.

Obviously it would make me a very happy person if we didn't need to have the year since that would cut down on costs of updating things every 4 years, but i really don't want to create things incorrectly and then have to change them later due to non-compliance.

I empathize with the question. I understand that to be really precise, it is correct to say ISO 9001:2008. And, I read the ISO guidelines posted in post #2 in this thread. But, I am also a businessperson, and I have been involved in certification for a very long time.

First and most important, an organization can not infer or state that their products are certified. Nor, can they infer that ISO has certified them. Other than that, ISO changes their "guidelines" frequently, as to what is the "preferred approach" du jour. Guidelines change, rules and interpretations change. Standards certainly change.

What value is there to identify you are certified to ISO 9001:2008? Is there any other version of ISO 9001 you can be certified to? You may have had 2000, but that was years ago. Today, if you are STILL certified, then you are certified to 2008. Next couple of years, there will be a transition to the new version, and every customer will understand that we are in a transition. Every customer will understand that their suppliers are in transition, and they will upgrade over several years. No one is going to select or exclude a supplier because they are 2008 vs 2015.

So, what is the big issue? Why paint 2008 on a fleet of trucks, just to have to repaint it again when you are upgraded? What id you have 20 plants, and they upgrade over several years? Are you going to advertise that you are certified to ISO 9001:2008/2015? Do I state that I am a licensed TS auditor, or do I state that I am licensed to ISO/TS-16949:2009? Really?

This becomes absurd. Some of ISO's rules and guidelines become a little absurd, when they become too detailed and prescriptive...and they do change.

So, I suggest to my clients that they should state in their manuals they have implemented their QMS to meet the requirements of ISO 9001. When the standard upgrades, they will implement the upgrades in a reasonably prompt time frame.

For customers, that is sufficient. And, unless your registrar has an issue, save the reprinting costs in your advertising.

 

[Big Jim]

Certification marks MIGHT include or not those words. See this example.

As I said before, if an organization wants to paint their exterior building wall, place a sticker on their vehicles or tattoo it on the CEO's forehead with the words ISO 9001 certified, it's nobody else's business.

Have you checked with your registrar? You may be surprised.