The ISO 9000 Standard

As a global standard ISO 9000 is already well on the way. In the first half of 1993, it is estimated that over 34,000 European companies are registered in compliance with the ISO 9000 standards (ôQuality,ö 1994, p. 12). In the U.S., over 1000 companies have been certified. From 1992, the number of certified companies more than doubled (ôThe sleeper,ö 1994, p. 44).

What is ISO 9000? ISO 9000 is a set of international standards for both quality management and quality assurance that has been adopted by over 90 countries worldwide. The ISO 9000 standards apply to all types of organizations, large and small, and in many industries. The standards require:

1. A standard language for documenting quality practices.

2. A system to track and manage evidence that these practices are instituted throughout the organizat

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e internationally accepted standard of quality. There is a way to determine and measure that quality. There is even a way to prove it. The time has passed to take a ôwait and seeö attitude for most industries. The chances are good and increasing that your company, or your competition, will be seeking ISO 9000 certification in the next three to five years. ISO 9000 is fast becoming the de facto across industries throughout the world (ôNow it can,ö 1994, p. 35). As international trade and the attention to quality issues has increased, the need for an international quality standard became critical (ôQuality,ö 1994, p. 11). Some companies are driven to become compliant because of internal operational efficiencies that can lead to dramatic productivity increases and reduced costs. Many companies implement ISO 9000 programs as a foundation for Total Quality Management (TQM) programs or in pursuit of the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award in the U.S. Many industries are directly affected by both the competitionÆs use and the growing world standard that ISO 9000 is becoming. It would be difficult to name an industry that will not be affected. Virtually every manufacturing company should be aware of the ISO 9000 standards that will affect the
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