What Does it Mean to be ISO-Certified
At American Polyfilm, we are always striving for excellence in the service we offer our customers and in the quality of the products we supply them with. American Polyfilm is an ISO 9001:2015 certified polyurethane film supplier and has been ISO 9000 compliant since 2007. We are dedicated to the pursuit and maintenance of our own high standard of excellence. While many of our customers may be aware that being ISO-Certified is a good thing in a general sense, they may be less clear on what it takes to get that certification. So, what does it mean to successfully undergo the ISO Certification process and why should it be important to our customers?
What Are ISO Standards?
ISO 9001 is a standard that sets out the requirements for a quality management system, which in turn defines a set of procedures, policies, and processes. If followed, it can greatly improve and streamline the overall performance of a company and maximize customer satisfaction, while ensuring that certain quality standards are being met. This is accomplished by implementing the standards that have been set specifically for the ISO 9001 QMS by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The driving principal of the ISO 9001 standard is the idea of continual improvement.
The International Organization for Standardization is a highly regarded, non-governmental organization that has been instrumental in the facilitation of common standards of quality and safety for a very wide variety of products and services throughout the world. The ISO was originally established in 1947, and today they continue to inspire and improve businesses who voluntarily choose to meet the challenge of complying with the high standards that have been set for them. However, the ISO is not an organization that actively handles the process of certification. This is overseen by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (known more conveniently as the ANAB).
How Does a Company Become ISO-Certified?
ISO-Certified companies only receive their certification after they have successfully done the following:
Written and compiled all required documentation up to the technical standards set by the ISO. This documentation is not available in general template form but must be written specifically for the individual business.
Effectively implemented and continually improved and maintained their Quality Management System.
Submitted all required documentation and had the operations of the company assessed and then verified in a two-stage audit process. This is physically overseen by an independent registrar who works with an accredited agency.
After it is verified that all the requirements have been met, the company should be informed by an auditor of anything problematic that was uncovered and will be given a chance to correct any issues of concern. Once these identified problems are proven to be corrected, or if the auditor did not find any cause for concern during their initial analysis, the company should receive their ISO Certification soon afterward.
We believe that it’s important to make sure that our customers are aware of the high standards to which we hold ourselves as a company. And one of the things that we feel communicates this most clearly is our choice to pursue and maintain the type of quality standards that something like the ISO 9001 Certification requires. Is it our opinion that continually pursuing our ISO 9001 certification is also another way to our customers first, making sure we consistently meet their needs and enhance their satisfaction. We feel that this lets our customers know that they can count on our continued reliability and feel secure in the knowledge that this certification is not a singular event. It is an ongoing commitment to identify weaknesses, rebuild them into strengths, keep striving for excellence, and operate within a framework that helps us maintain the high standards of quality that our customers have come to expect.
To learn more about American Polyfilm and the products we provide, contact us today.