What Is ISO Certification? And How Valuable Is It?

An ISO Certification certifies that a distributor’s management system, processes, and services adhere to a set number of international Quality Standards that meet customer needs efficiently. These certifications can be found in many industries, from aerospace to energy management. Some OEMs and EMS providers may require that distributors have an ISO certificate for them to sell to them.

Distributors can use the ISO standards to determine what quality standards they need to adhere to for each order. Distributors who fail to follow quality control procedures can deliver defective or substandard components to their customers. This increases the risk of quality issues and makes it more difficult for them to improve their services.

It’s no surprise Best Practice ISO Certification is so important for distributors. What else is there to do to improve quality management systems for distributors?

These examples show how ISO standards are used to help electronic components (EC), distributors, and improve their quality guidelines.

#1 Distributors Help To Improve Quality Assurance Continuously

ISO certified distributors must identify and describe their quality system (QMS), processes, using business metrics. To gain a better understanding of the services they offer, distributors can learn more about themselves and ensure that their QMS is meeting customer needs. These metrics help to understand the QMS of distributors and how it can help them achieve their quality assurance goals.

ISO certification is a way to ensure distributors are continually improving their quality control processes. A disaster recovery plan is required for distributors so that in the event of a catastrophic event, they can still fulfill orders from their customers.

#2 Improves Consistency In Quality Control Services

Distribution companies often have to adjust their quality control services to keep up with changing customer demands or new developments in their business. But, these operations must be consistent and should be able to maintain quality guidelines.

A functioning QMS should contain a clear goal objective. Distributors must collect data from their quality control processes to determine what adjustments need to be made for the system to work. To achieve tangible results, distributors can eliminate waste in the process and reduce the risk for quality errors.

#3. Internal And External Audits Ensure That Quality Objectives Are Consistently Followed

It’s easy to lose sight overtime of a business’ quality objectives. external and internal audits can help distributors monitor their QMS. Remote audits can be done either on-site or remotely. However, they are less common. Distributors can provide feedback on service performance issues to avoid or correct any violations of quality assurance.

An auditor can be brought in by the distributor to perform external audits. An internal audit can be done by properly certified employees and is required to earn an ISO certificate for distributors. These audits are used to ensure that quality guidelines have been followed, assess the effectiveness and conformity.

#4 Establishes Mutually Beneficial Customer/Distributor Relationships

It is just as important that customers work with a consistent and reliable distributor as it does for them. It can be difficult to find a distributor who is committed to meeting the quality standards for their services. This can lead to customers switching distributors and causing them to pay more. Distributors rely on customer reviews to increase their client base and generate more revenue. An ISO-certified distributor can assure customers that their products are of high quality and that they have been tested and inspected to meet ISO quality guidelines.