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ISO 9001 – how funding can help you migrate from 2008 to 2015

Manufacturing Quality Standards

Are you ISO 9001:2008 certified? From September 2018 this certification will no longer be valid, and your quality management system will need to be upgraded to retain this certification.

Whilst the cost to implement this is significant, manufacturing businesses can access grant funding to help them make this migration according to Anne Campion, Manufacturing Services Manager for the Manufacturing Growth Fund.  As a manufacturing business, you know how vital quality standards are to help you stand out in the market place.

From British Retail Consortium (BRC) to Safe and Local Suppler approval (SALSA ) if you want to access high-end supply chains your business needs to meet these standards. ISO 9001 is arguably the most recognisable of all standards - over 1 million businesses in 170 countries are certified to this standard, which is why it is vital if you want to compete.

What is ISO 9001 and why is it important?

The ISO 9001 standard is the internationally recognised assurance of quality management systems, enabling businesses to be more efficient and improve customer satisfaction. The certification gives your customers confidence that you can provide consistently quality products, via a compliant and systematic approach to quality management.

The change from the 2008 to the 2015 accreditation is needed as businesses continue to navigate more complex supply chains and respond to a more knowledgeable and demanding customer base which is able to access more and more data about you.

What are the differences between ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 9001:2015?

  1. ISO 9001:2015 will now follow the same ‘High-Level Structure’ as other ISO management system standards which is helpful for businesses with multiple certifications or sector quality standards including automotive and aerospace.
  2. The focus is less prescriptive and firmly on processes rather than documented procedures and records.
  3. The new certification will give more prominence to ‘risk-based thinking’ and will employ the manufacturing principle ‘Plan-Do-Check-Act’.

There is funding available to help you do this

The cost of implementing ISO 9001: 2015 is not a simple tick-box exercise. Not only does it require you to develop or improve your internal processes and procedures, but crucially you need a plan to roll this out to your workforce in order to pass the assessment and ensure quality across the board. Manufacturers in Lancashire can access grant funding through the Lancashire Manufacturing Growth Fund in order to meet this challenge.

The grant offers 30% of the project cost to help manage the expense of this, and in addition, a specialist manufacturing advisor will work with you to ensure this investment is right for your business and help you to find the best provider to deliver the project.

If your business is reliant on ISO 9001 in order to access new supply chains or retain your existing client base get in touch today and find out how the Manufacturing Growth Fund can help you. For more information on moving from ISO 9001:2008 to ISO 9001: 2015: https://www.iso.org/files/live/sites/isoorg/files/archive/pdf/en/iso_9001_-_moving_from_2008_to_2015.pdf

To find out how to access the Lancashire Manufacturing Growth Fund call Boost on 0800 488 0057 or contact Anne Campion on 0161 237 4196 / manufacturing@businessgrowthhub.com. For further information visit: www.manufacturingnorthwest.com

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