What are the ISO certifications?

ISO standards are a set of guidelines created by taking consensus from industry leaders, manufacturing experts, financial experts, environmentalists, economists, and scientists. As a result, these recommendations are cutting-edge, helping organisations increase the efficiency of their operations without compromising on their savings or quality.

As International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the parent organisation, is extremely revered across the globe, any time any organisation implements the recommendations, builds a management system, or undergoes a certification audit to acquire an ISO certificate, its brand credibility gets boosted in the eyes of both their stakeholders and customers.

This is why ISO certification is extremely lucrative for business owners as it provides tangible benefits such as better savings, better business opportunities, acquisition of newer customers, and intangible benefits such as better prestige, better stakeholder confidence, and better brand credibility.

Why does the automotive industry need ISO certification?

ISO standards can help various automotive companies establish management systems that look out for and maintain the quality as well as safety of their products, preserving their effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and security of business operations.

Ultimately, having an ISO certificate will help the automotive company get international recognition as it is now operating using internationally acclaimed best practices. The format of ISO standards is flexible enough to be suitable to any industry, regardless of its size, type, or process.

Benefits of ISO certification for the automotive industry

ISO certificates can uplift any business in the global market as it allows the company to maintain environmental, health, and safety measures. Additionally, ISO standards also help to reduce any business-related risks or environmental threats.

Moreover, the standards help to create a foundation for effective and efficient delivery of products, helping companies balance energy consumption and reduce the need for reconstruction of processes. For more information, you can read the ISO 27001 benefits article.

Popular ISO standards for the automotive industry

There are a few ISO standards that are commonly used across the automotive industry, including:

IATF 16949

This standard is developed by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) in collaboration with ISO. The purpose of this standard is to support the manufacturing of safe and reliable products that continually meet customer requirements as well as adhere to all regulatory obligations. Additionally, this standard focuses on additional issues that are a common occurrence in the automotive industry such as problem-solving, error-proofing, and the creation of sustainable warranty management systems.

ISO 9001 for the automotive industry

Although many experts claim that the IATF 16949 standard has taken inspiration from ISO 9001, the IATF 16949 is not self-sufficient. In fact, its efficiency improves if it works in conjunction with a robust Quality Management System (QMS).

The ISO 9001 standard is a quality management standard that can create many tangible benefits for automotive companies such as better customer satisfaction, reduced operating cost, improved stakeholder relationship, better risk management, improved business credentials, better legal compliance, and attraction of new business opportunities.

ISO 14001

The standard is appreciated for creating a comprehensive Environmental Management System (EMS) that allows organisations to understand how their processes are negatively impacting the environment. Due to the growing concern for the environment, there have been more than 250000 organisations that have acquired the certificate in the past five years.

As automotive industries are seen as one of the bigger pollutants in the world, acquiring ISO 14001 certificate is a proven way for any business owner to demonstrate their commitment about improving environmental and economic sustainability. 

ISO 45001

In addition to offering reliable products and services, automotive manufacturers must constantly aim to create a safe environment for all the workers and visitors. This is because the automotive industry is inherently risky as workers and visitors are constantly exposed to emissions, heavy equipment and slippery/greasy assembly lines.

The ISO 45001 standard has the ultimate goal of providing a framework to businesses for mitigating, modifying and completely eliminating all work related factors which could lead to injuries, illnesses or even fatalities. Obtaining ISO 45001 certificate helps organisation build a robust Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) that can be a strategic move to acquire better talent, improve stakeholder confidence and increase footfall into their factories.

This certificate can help boost the public image of any automotive company, proving to the world that the top management truly cares about their employees. You can learn more about how to acquire ISO 45001 by reading ISO 45001 checklist.