Product category:
Trade Associations and Standards
News Release from: TUV Rheinland UK
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 13 April 2005
But who is ISO and what are its
purposes?
ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 148 countries, on the basis of one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system
ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation), created in 1947, is the world's largest developer of standards, which have social and economic repercussions ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 148 countries, on the basis of one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 23 Apr 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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ISO members are not delegations of national governments, however, they represent independent interests on international base.
Therefore, ISO is able to act as a bridging organisation in which a consensus can be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements of business and the needs of society, such as consumers and users.
If you wonder about the abbreviation, it comes from the Greek isos meaning "equal".
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That was decided since at the outset to give a global name to the ISO organisation avoiding all differences due to the language translations.
As a non-governmental organisation, its aims are to put in place standards and guidance meant not only for public authorities but also for the end-users.
Therefore ISO continually introduce and refine standards for the benefit of all.
Indeed, these standards lead to higher and higher levels of quality, efficiency and safety.
Let us mention few examples.
- Manufacturers benefits: with their products in compliance with the adapted requirements and reaching a certain quality level, manufacturers will be able to market them worldwide and gain the confidence of their future customers who have a great quality reference to rely on.
Likewise, it provides manufacturers with elements contributing to safer goods, efficient production and distribution chains with cost economies.
- Governments benefits: International Standards provide the technological and scientific bases supporting health, safety and environmental legislation.
Recently, for example, governments have become more and more demanding regarding environmental legislation and the relevance of standards such as ISO 14001 has risen consequently.
- Consumers benefits: conformity of products and services to International Standards provides assurance about their quality, safety and reliability.
And also it ensures the safety of the transport, machinery and tools they use.
For these reasons end-users attach a real importance to ISO as proof of quality and this is particularly due to relevant confidence granted to this international organisation.
TUV International UK, part of TUV Rheinland Group, as a notified body has the capability to assess and confirm that management systems are consistent with various published ISO standards relevant to this area.
Among the whole range of certifications, here are the most recognisable: ISO 9001:2000, Certifications of quality management systems.
ISO 14001:2004, Certifications of environmental management systems.
ISO 13485, Certifications of quality systems for medical devices.
ISO/TS 16949, Quality systems for automotive serial and service part production.
Based in Birmingham and benefiting from a large and worldwide network of offices, we can therefore help with audits and certifications relative to Quality and System Management.
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