If you are developing a new product, you need to pick standard off-the-shelf components and modules as much as possible and you need to consider compliance at this stage. If your product will include electronic components and will need to be FCC certified and/or bear a CE mark, selecting components/modules that are already certified will save you time and money. However, the question then becomes, how to make sure the certificates sent by suppliers are legitimate? I wrote some advice in … [Read more...]
ISO 17025: A Must For The Laboratories You Work With?
There are over 20,000 ISO standards. And there is one about the management system of testing and calibration laboratories -- ISO 17025. In simple terms, it includes the requirements of ISO 9001 as well as a set of good practices for this type of activity. … [Read more...]
Environmental Audit On Your Factories: 6 Questions To Ask First
With the increasingly pressing imperative to slow climate change down, and with the recent COP 26 conference, a few clients inquired about ways to confirm that their suppliers have taken steps to protect the environment with a view to doing an environmental audit. Unfortunately, most manufacturers based in China, Vietnam, Thailand, or India, don't see eco-friendliness as a top priority. And, when they do mention it on their websites, it is usually about ways to help their customers do … [Read more...]
You Need To Know About UKCA If You Sell Products In The UK
Many companies have been selling their products with a CE mark in the European Union and in the UK. They are in for a big shock as the UKCA mark comes into force to supersede CE in the UK! … [Read more...]
All You Should Know About Management System Standards & Auditing Them [Podcast]
![All You Should Know About Management System Standards & Auditing Them [Podcast]](https://qualityinspection.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/AllYouShouldKnowAboutManagementSystemStandardsAuditingThemPodcast-1140x445.jpg)
What are management system standards? Management system standards aren't 'just another tool.' When an organization is certified to one of these standards it's an important way to demonstrate that they're able to perform the tasks required to fulfill the objectives or needs of their clients and/or drive meaningful improvements in a specific area. Let's use ISO 9001 as an example. It's a QMS (quality management system) that, when put in place, shows that the certified company can reach … [Read more...]
Does ISO 9001 Actually Prevent Process Improvements?
As I wrote before, I believe that a good implementation of ISO 9001 does help a manufacturer quite a bit, while a bad one will only create issues. And the reason is simple. ISO 9001 allows an organization to set any system it wants, as long as they make sense and they respect a set of minimum requirements. The problem is, many factories think "we would get more customers if we had that certificate", so they go out and find templates and make it all look like it is alive in their company... … [Read more...]