ISO 9001: What commitment to quality looks like

As most people in the industry know, ISO stands for the International Organization of Standardization, which began in 1947 and is recognized in 147 different countries. In the late 80’s the ISO introduced a set of standards needed to operate a quality management system. It has been updated only a handful of times since its inception, and is currently identified as ISO 9001:2015. This helps us know whether a company is keeping up with the updates that ISO makes to the list of requirements every few years. 

The purpose and heart of ISO is to make sure we’re all adhering to a high level of quality that can be expected across the world.

The standards address many things from environmental impact, to the terminology we use. In fact, there are seven specific principles of the latest ISO standard, and they are; Relationship Management, Customer Focus, Leadership, Engagement of People, Process Approach, Improvement, and Evidence-based decision making. 

Overall it’s a way for us as a company to ensure satisfied customers, management and employees. 

Every company starts out with the best of intentions in the areas of performance and customer expectations. But over time and with growth it can be difficult to autonomously keep track of areas where quality is bound to slip. And those areas in a large organization can be countless. Certification from a third body like ISO isn’t just important for our customers, it’s crucial for us that as we develop our processes we’re constantly improving ourselves. 

As a customer or a client it can be helpful to understand what’s going on in the background of the company you work with- and that’s a curtain that is often drawn shut. But we here at Ludlow Manufacturing will never take our eye from the goal of consistent quality. Our ISO Certification is another manifestation of that dedication. The efforts we put in to not just establish quality processes but maintain them should tell you exactly the kind of company we are, and the kind of expectation you can have when you work with us.