Moving our Distribution Company - ISO 9001 Certification Impact

[FountainHead]

We're a parts distributor, prepping for initial ISO 9001:2008 certification. At the same time, we're considering moving to a larger facility. We'd like to proceed with the cert pursuit, hoping for a September 2013 completion, and then move our facility (7.3 Excluded, no manufacturing).

What impact would moving our facility have on our certification? Would we have to re-cert, or is it an immediate admin-only type of impact...or no impact at all until our next yearly audit.

Thanks in advance.

 

[AndyN]

Re: Moving our company; certification impact.

We're a parts distributor, prepping for initial ISO 9001:2008 certification. At the same time, we're considering moving to a larger facility. We'd like to proceed with the cert pursuit, hoping for a September 2013 completion, and then move our facility (7.3 Excluded, no manufacturing).

What impact would moving our facility have on our certification? Would we have to re-cert, or is it an immediate admin-only type of impact...or no impact at all until our next yearly audit.

Thanks in advance.

Do your move first. As soon as you change locations, it should mean another audit, since the risk of "dropping the ball" at the new location is significant. There's a good chance you'd have to pay for an extra visit after the move, before your surveillance.

 

[FountainHead]

Re: Moving our company; certification impact.

Thanks Andy. We definitely want to avoid the cost of additional audits, so we'll likely hold off until the move is complete. Thanks again.

 

[JaxQC]

If you check with your registrar, I think you’ll find that you can add the new facility on to the current cert as a satellite location (you just get an updated cert). This can be done prior to the equipment moving in but covers you when you start it up. As your next audit rolls around you’ll be audited at both (if not completely moved) or you can drop the previous location if the move is complete.

 

[Big Jim]

If you check with your registrar, I think you?ll find that you can add the new facility on to the current cert as a satellite location (you just get an updated cert). This can be done prior to the equipment moving in but covers you when you start it up. As your next audit rolls around you?ll be audited at both (if not completely moved) or you can drop the previous location if the move is complete.

That may not be enough to keep the move from triggering a re-assessment.

This is really a discussion you should have with your certification body so they can weigh all the circumstances and determine how they would react.