ISO 9001: 2015 Certification: Why is it important?

Prudêncio has obtained Systems Certification by SGS according to NP EN ISO 9001: 2015. This certification was an important recognition of the work we have been developing on waterproofing and insulation solutions. Read on to learn more.

What is ISO 9001: 2015 Certification?

ISO 9001 is an international management system created by ISO (International Organization for Standardization), a Geneva-based organization whose purpose is to develop and promote standards that can be used by every country in the world.

As an instrument that can be adopted by any company of any size, ISO 9001 has become the most well-known standard adopted by successful companies worldwide.

The purpose of this system is to ensure process optimization, promote faster product development and make production more agile in order to satisfy customers and achieve sustained success.

The Quality Management System thus functions as a tool to help managers find and correct inefficient processes within the organization, improving its efficiency.

ISO 9001 is also a way of documenting the organization’s culture, enabling the business to grow while maintaining the quality of the goods and services provided.

What is its mission?

This certification’s main mission is to add value to members and contribute to the sustainable development of Portuguese society, through the creation and dissemination of knowledge and the promotion of innovative practices in the fields of Quality and Excellence.

By obtaining this certificate, a company stands out from the competition by ensuring compliance with the standards of an internationally recognized quality management system.

About the International Organization for Standardization

The International Organization for Standardization, known as ISO, is an organization that brings together standardization certifications from 164 countries. Portugal entered ISO in 1949.

In 1946, 65 officials from 25 countries met in London to discuss ways to facilitate the coordination and unification of industry standards at an international level. The following year, on February 23, ISO officially began its activities with 67 technical committees, having moved its headquarters in 1949 to Geneva, Switzerland, where it remains today.

ISO approves international standards for a large number of areas of major economic and technical interest.

ISO ratings can be divided into three main types:

Technical standards;
Classifications;
Procedural Standards – such as quality management according to ISO 9001.

What are the benefits to the certified companies?

Internally:

This certificate is associated with important internal benefits such as:

Internal improvements of the organization
Increased quality awareness
Definition of people’s responsibilities and competences
Greater employee motivation
More efficient process management
Productivity Improvement
Product Quality Improvement
Defect rate decrease
Reduction of complaints

Externally:

Externally, ISO 9001 certification has an important marketing impact, providing benefits such as:

Improved corporate image
Access to new markets
Increased market share
Improved communication and customer relationship
Increased Customer Satisfaction
Improvement of competitive position

We can say that ISO 9001 is a quality management system, developed in order to promote the performance improvement of companies.

What were the improvements to ISO 9001: 2015?

Compared to previous certifications, ISO 9001: 2015 has shown several improvements related to:

Integration with business management
More emphasis on process approach and less on documentation
Consideration of the context of the organization
Risk-based thinking
Knowledge and innovation management
Increasing applicability to all types of organizations
Easy integration of different management systems

These changes were intended to generate more value for the organization and its customers.

About SGS

SGS is a global leader in certification and works with customers in virtually every industry. Due to its history of success in the execution of large international projects and highly qualified specialists, it was the company chosen by Prudêncio for this certification process.