WHAT’S ISO 9001 & WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

October 19, 2022

BY Allan Baum

What’s ISO 9001 & Why Is It Important?

Standards organizations exist to ensure quality in production and delivery across various industries. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) certifies organic food producers and agricultural suppliers based on factors such as soil quality, animal practices, pest control, and additive use. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ensures safe working conditions by setting and enforcing standards through training, education, and assistance. And the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) delegates more than 160 international standards based on voluntary, consensus-based, market-relevant criteria that support quality and consistency across several industries.1

Let’s explore key components of the ISO quality management system (QMS), why ISO 9001 certification is important, and ISO standards for data centers.

Components of QMS

ISO 9001, with ISO 9001:2015 being the most recent version, provides standard requirements for the QMS. Here are the seven principles outlined by ISO2:

  1. Engagement of People
    Team members must share experiences and knowledge to align on issue resolution and QMS performance. This serves as the basis for demonstrating an ongoing commitment to quality.
  2. Customer Focus
    Feedback from customers, employees, suppliers, and other stakeholders is imperative. Openness to both positive and negative commentary fuels product and process development.
  3. Leadership
    Accountability starts at the top. Team-wide understanding of the QMS is critical, but clear and consistent leadership participation increases overall employee engagement and adherence.
  4. Process Approach
    The Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) supports continual improvement by encouraging team members to plan, do as they said they would, check that they’re correct, and act on any errors.
  5. Improvement
    By managing interrelated processes, aligning on decision making, and working together, teams move more efficiently and effectively toward continual improvement.
  6. Evidence-Based Decision Making
    Making informed decisions regarding process anomalies and points of interest is rooted in analyzing and evaluating precise, timely, and relevant data.
  7. Relationship Management
    At the core of lasting customer relationships is trust. Beyond credibility from being ISO-certified, organizations must continually nurture relationships with customers, employees, and suppliers.

The Importance of ISO 9001

ISO 9001 certification indicates a company’s ongoing commitment to quality control and customer satisfaction. When people and organizations seek suppliers, these certifications act as quick credibility checks, ultimately accelerating purchasing decisions and increasing revenue.

ISO standards are globally recognized. No matter where your company is located, suggested practices are standardized, which lends itself to improved stakeholder relationships worldwide. This also enhances operational efficiency and process integrations. It’s critical to ensure the QMS functions at its full potential and your goods and services meet customer and regulatory requirements at all times, which can be easily accomplished by complying with and achieving ISO 9001.3

ISO Standards for Data Centers

Quality management is essential in the data center sector because it necessitates high security and superior results. ISO standards for data centers promote successful design, construction, and delivery of the building and its services. It also enhances your reputation with customers and increases the likelihood of winning deals over non-certified organizations.

At BTECH, our team of battery health technology experts is no stranger to the data center world. We frequently operate in complex applications, follow stringent regulations, and uncover solutions in scenarios with limited visibility, all while delivering technically superior, high-quality products and services. As an ISO-certified manufacturing and battery monitoring solutions provider, BTECH shares an ongoing commitment to quality control. Through ISO standards for data centers, we can assure battery performance and reduce UPS battery maintenance and replacement costs in colocation, cloud, financial, corporate, government, and military data centers.

If you want to understand ISO 9001 and how it applies to your business success, get in touch with BTECH. We’re ISO-certified and ready to deliver quality with every application.

References

  1. https://www.iso.org/about-us.html
  2. https://www.qmsuk.com/iso-standards/iso-9001/iso-9001-principles
  3. https://reciprocity.com/resources/what-is-iso-9001/