Today most companies from start-ups to small businesses, medium scale enterprises to large organisations are ISO 9001 certified. Indeed, we all know that ISO stands for International Organization for Standardisation. But what does this mean? It means that a set standard of operation has been established for products and services provided by the company. The set standard of the process is in terms of quality, safety, and efficiency.

Let’s take the example of a soap manufacturing company –

• The set standard of quality will ensure the usage of the right amount of quality raw materials. The size of the bar and the look, feel, and smell are uniform.
• The entire process of manufacturing and the factory have set standards of safety. Therefore, correct precautions are taken to avoid any accidents and damages.
• The organisation takes care of productivity. In an hour maximum output can be 100 soap bars – so this becomes the standard of efficiency. Hence the productivity.

However, the standards set need to be followed and maintained throughout. This ensures the quality of products and services rendered by the company and its employees are excellent.

Why maintain the standards laid down by ISO?

• Authorities and Government officials accept the ISO to be an international certification. Moreover, this gives credibility to your company in other countries
• ISO certification brings in the reliability of the business; hence it is easy for marketing products or services
• Government tenders are allotted majorly to companies with ISO certification
• The accreditation brings in functional efficiency across departments and organisations
• Zero wastage of raw materials and working hours
• Quality of products and services ensured
• All this brings in customer satisfaction, and indeed, the company enjoys goodwill and reputation in the market

What are the pre-requisites to ISO Certification in India?

Choose the relevant ISO Certification type

First and foremost, you should choose the ISO certification standard relevant for your business.

Choose a credible ISO Certification Body

Please note that ISO does not issue certificates to the applicants itself. The task of assigning ISO Certificates to the applicants is performed by external bodies. It is extremely important for you to do your research and choose a credible and recognized certification body to obtain the certification from.

Please consider the following-

• Evaluate the past records of different ISO Certification agencies.
• Check if they follow the CASCO standards. This is a committee set up by the ISO to oversee issues linked to conformity assessment.
• Check whether they meet the criteria of ISO Accreditation agencies.

Nature of business for ISO certification

There different types of certification depending upon the nature of business. Few examples:

• Quality management – ISO 9001:2008 is applicable
• Food Safety management – ISO 22000:2005 is applicable
• Fire Safety Engineering – ISO 16732-1:2012 is applicable

Therefore, each type of certification defines the standards applicable as per the nature of business.

Who issues this certification?

An accredited registrar issues the ISO certification which is the Certification Body (CB). Each CB issues various types of certification. Moreover, it is advisable to choose credible and known CB. Therefore, the list of few CB in India:

• CDG Certification Ltd
• De System Inc.
• SMC India

Documents needed

• Company profile
• Company letterhead
• Copy of Sales & Purchase bill
• Address Proof
• Pan card
• Visiting card
  
  

Certification process in India

• Enter into a contract with the registrar for certification. This contract sets the responsibility and commitment of both parties.
• ISO appointed auditor checks the company’s documents. He also reviews the company’s policy and procedure.
• An auditor sets the standardization to bring in maximum business efficiency and output.
• The auditor conducts an internal audit to see if the necessary standards have been implemented. However, on completion of the audit, a satisfactory and compliance report is submitted to the registrar.
• ISO certification is issued based on the audit report.
• Periodic surveillance audit is conducted to ensure the ISO standards have been maintained.
• The certificate has a validity of 3 years.

Cost of certification

The cost of accreditation varies from organization to organization. Therefore, it is based on many factors like:

• The nature of business and type of certification applied for
• The certification body chose
• The size of the organization, employee count and the number of processes involved
• The risk level associated with the processes

Can I apply online?

You can apply for ISO 9001 Certification with Vakilsearch in 3 simple steps:

1. Consultation – Our experts will help you get all the right information about an ISO Certification
2. Application – From helping you fill up applications to putting together documents, we will help you with the entire application process.
3. Drafting Policy Standards – We will help you put together a quality, comprehensive policy standards so that you have no issues when it comes to applying for an ISO Certification.

Conclusion

Online certification is apt for micro-businesses and small companies, where the processes are less and operational functions basic. The agency takes care of the application process and audit, hence lesser hassle for the owner of the company. Moreover, it is a time-saver too. However, the cost of online ISO certification is economical for small businesses. Before opting for online ISO certification issuing agencies, it is advisable to conduct the necessary authenticity and background check of the agency.