Becoming certified to ISO 9001, a company declares that its quality management system complies with international standards. ISO 9001 certificate makes it more reliable in partners’ eyes, attracts customers, and optimizes internal processes. It does much good in many other aspects inspiring companies across industries to meet ISO requirements.

Based on the most recent statistics, around 883 thousand ISO 9001 certificates have been issued globally. The benefits of ISO 9001: 2015 certification make it the most popular among ISO standards so far. In the upcoming years, the popularity is only likely to grow.

Do you wonder who needs ISO certification and whether your company should get it? It’s time to decide for sure. In this blog post, we will list top industries that can win from following ISO requirements and explain how a company becomes ISO 9001 certified. Keep reading to find this out.

How Does a Company Become ISO 9001 Certified?

The ISO 9001 standard, which belongs to the ISO 9000 family, applies to quality management systems (QMS). The ISO 9001: 2015 certification is its latest version that came into effect in September of 2018. Organizations use it to demonstrate they provide products and services that meet consumer requirements and are committed to continual improvement.

But what does it mean from the practical side? How does a company become ISO 9001 certified?

Well, there are many 9001 ISO requirements to meet. The main point is that this standard is not about the end quality of your product. It’s about orchestrating quality management processes in the first place. Besides, it can be provided only to the whole organization, not a single person or department.

Therefore, to achieve 9001 ISO requirements, you need a holistic approach. Will you have to upgrade your record-keeping processes, organization policies, risk management, and other domains. Overall, 9001 ISO requirements cover the following four areas:

• Management responsibility. Compliance obligations of the management team.
• Resource management. Distribution of resources (facilities, employees, infrastructure) to ensure the best performance.
• Product. Steps necessary to provide the ultimate quality of products or services.
• Measurement and improvement. Mechanisms necessary to make the QMS always work as expected and regularly enhance it.
  

Apart from the structural changes, companies and organizations seeking compliance need detailed documentation. Without it, you won’t prove that your entity follows quality management principles.

Learn How to Achieve the 9001 ISO Certification with Electronic Document Management

Once the 9001 ISO requirements are met, and the internal audit is completed, you can request an external check to verify the compliance. ISO doesn’t audit organizations itself; it only specifies quality management system standards. Therefore, you will need to contact one of the certification bodies entitled to run such audits.

To learn more details on how a company becomes ISO 9001 certified and read specific ISO requirements, visit this page.

Who Needs ISO Certification 9001: 2015?

To be certain that 9001 ISO requirements compliance is worth your efforts, you should learn who needs ISO certification. Even though the certification process isn’t tied to a specific industry, it benefits some companies and organizations more than others. Learn who needs ISO certification 9001:2015 below:

Who Needs ISO Certification #1. Healthcare

Healthcare organizations achieve ISO compliance to state their commitment to quality and offer patient-centered care.

ISO provides guidelines on establishing a quality management system that improves the effectiveness of clinical, support, and business processes. All the healthcare procedures become well-documented and standardized. As a result, the healthcare organization provides better treatment and efficiently identifies and manages risks to staff and patients.

ISO certification also helps healthcare providers to comply with other local and international standards. And since the healthcare industry is strictly regulated, it’s another convincing reason to bring ISO requirements to life.

Who Needs ISO Certification #2. Hospitality Businesses

As the competition in the hospitality industry intensifies, businesses test new ways to stand out from the crowd and attract customers. ISO 9001:2015 certification is one of them. Compliance allows hospitality businesses to show consumers they invest in self-improvement and quality.

It’s also an effective way to reorganize internal processes in large hotels, restaurant chains, and other large hospitality businesses. Clear ISO guidelines are tried and tested by other organizations and have already shown operational efficiency.

Who Needs ISO Certification #3. Construction

In the construction industry, budgets are very high. Deadlines and quality requirements are also tough. To attract investment, construction companies must be able to prove the transparency and reliability of their systems. The 9001 ISO requirements compliance helps them win tenders and qualify for government contracts. Decision-makers are more likely to trust a company that has a renowned international certification and detailed documentation.

Besides, the construction process includes some weak points, where the company is prone to financial losses. In particular, construction businesses cooperate with many subcontractors they must control. A proper quality management system allows them to manage the supply chain and reduce waste.

Who Needs ISO Certification #4. Engineering

Engineering firms operate in a complex regulatory landscape and have to maintain the highest accuracy of work. Compliance with 9001:2015 ISO certification allows them to deal with both these challenges at once.

After becoming ISO certified, engineering companies already have the majority of other industry-specific regulatory procedures in place. Their processes are optimized and documented, which helps to meet other regulations and norms. Good documentation allows engineers to improve accountability and record every important detail.

ISO certification is also a great bonus if an engineering firm enters a new market. It’s a trusted sign of quality.

Who Needs ISO Certification #5. Manufacturing

In large-scale production, the cost of mistakes is extremely high. When something goes wrong in one batch, hundreds or even thousands of products may require mass reclamations. In more unfortunate cases, manufacturing mistakes result in injuries or even death. If you manufacture cars or other complex products with multiple details, every element must be tested.

Since 9001 ISO requirements are process-based, the certification means that manufacturers have worked through quality issues at each stage of production. It improves the final product and manufacturing efficiency. When each process is transparent, all teams know how to cooperate. Moreover, the manufacturer who achieves ISO certification will also enjoy increased customer satisfaction. Consumers will be less likely to be exposed to faulty products.

Who Needs ISO Certification #6. Technological Services

Technology use involves many risks. You can lose data by accident, face breaches, or suffer from natural disasters affecting your systems. When it happens, a quality management system powered with documentation can help to troubleshoot and recover data.

A tech business owner is also the one who needs ISO certification for other common reasons. Certified QMSs boost marketing, help to engage customers, make business processes well-managed, and more.

How Inkit Facilitates Compliance with 9001 ISO Requirements

Inkit is a reach enablement platform (REP) that provides the Render product for simplified 9001 requirements ISO compliance. Render is an API that developers can layer into existing software for automated HTML to PDF conversion.

For example, it can power a document management platform working as a part of a quality management system. You will receive the PDF copies and archives of critical customer communications and documents to stay compliant.

Since Render cuts the development time from months to less than a day, it’s particularly useful for companies that want ISO certification without wasting time and money.

Need an HTML to PDF converter API to make your QMS ISO compliant? Contact us to try Render for free.