posted 23 November 1999 11:55 AM               

From: Dennis Arter - [email protected]

>What is the difference between ISO9000 & QS9000?

ISO9000 (actually ISO 9000-1:1994) is the first in a SERIES of standards about quality management for an enterprise. It covers basic concepts, such as the difference between quality ASSURANCE and quality MANAGEMENT, and describes how to use the remaining standards in the series. In about a year, it will be combined with ISO 8402:1994, the terms and definitions standard, to form the first of three revised standards in the series -- ISO 9000:2000. (The other two will be ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 9004:2000.) It is important to realize that the ISO 9000 series of standards are formed by consensus worldwide and are not industry specific. This allows the series of standards to be used by hospitals, hotels, and hydroelectric dam builders.

QS9000 (actually QS-9000 third edition) is a sector-specific standard developed by the automobile and truck manufacturers for their suppliers. It takes ISO 9001:1994 as the base and adds additional requirements for the automotive industry. It would not be used by hospitals, hotels, or hydroelectric dam builders! It was not developed and issued through the international consensus process; although, it did have considerable input from automotive industry participants when it was being written. In order to promote use and acceptance among automotive suppliers worldwide, QS-9000 was recently rewritten as ISO/TS 16949. (TS means "Technical Specification," one notch lower than a "Standard." It went through a less rigorous form of consensus processing.) Both QS-9000 and ISO/TS 16949 may be obtained for about $15US each from the Automotive Endustry Action Group. The USA telephone number is 248.358.3003.