What Does ISO Stand for?
Customers often inquire about our ISO Certification. ISO stands for “International Organization for Standardization”, despite the fact that the letters are out of sequence. The name in different languages results in different acronyms. Thus, all 164 countries (who use ISO) agreed to use the ISO designation.
What is ISO?
ISO was started in 1947 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Its purpose is to be an independent, non-governmental organization that develops voluntary international standards to facilitate world trade and commercial exchange. Over 20,000 standards have been established to date. These standards ensure products are safe, reliable and of good quality. They help protect the consumer and end-user by making sure the certified products meet the same minimum international standards everywhere in the world.
ISO in the Real World
One of the best-known standards is ISO 9001. It was developed as a quality management guide focused on the consumer. It covers the creation of a quality management system, including information, planning and process interaction. ISO 9001 sets production standards, non-compliance reporting, supplier evaluations, customer interviews, regular audits, calibration of equipment, non-conformance reporting and more.
ISO Certification
The ISO certification must be recertified every 3 years by qualified auditors. Each year the company’s QC (quality control), production and reporting system are reviewed by management and a qualified auditor. This review is known as a surveillance audit.
ISO is a system that ensures products are produced to minimum quality and performance standard around the world. Titus Steel is proud to be ISO 9001 CERTIFIED. For more information, contact us today.