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You can use our free search engine to pinpoint certified companies anywhere in the world to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 or a related industry standard like ISO/TS 16949, TL9000, AS9100 and RC14001. We receive new information every day so be sure to bookmark our site.
Using WhosRegistered.com Global is as easy as 1-2-3:
While WhosRegistered.com is the largest independent database of certified suppliers in the world, we depend on certification bodies — the firms that actually issue the certificates — to submit their data in an acceptable form, including a minimum level of information about each certificate holder.
Some certification bodies do not yet submit their data to WhosRegistered.com — either because they do not know about us, they lack the technical capability to do so or they’re simply concerned about competitive issues. To ease such concerns, we’ve recently agreed to withhold the name of any certification body that asks us to do so. We still keep this information in our files and will be happy to pass along feedback on certified suppliers directly to the appropriate certification body through the WhosRegistered.com Global feedback mechanism accessible through the detailed listing screen.
Remember there’s never any charge to you or your certification body for basic listings. If your listing does not appear on WhosRegistered.com Global or your listing is incorrect, we urge you to contact your certification body directly. There is no better way to tell the world about your achievement than by being part of WhosRegistered.com Global. More and more purchasers worldwide are turning to WhosRegtistered.com Global when they need to find certified suppliers.
Soon you’ll also be able to e-mail copies of WhosRegistered.com Global listings directly to purchasers and other interested parties.
Companies that want more than a basic listing will soon be able to have an enhanced listing for a modest fee. And in the near future, purchasers will be able to harness the full power of WhosRegistered.com Global’s optional supplier monitoring service to monitor supplier conformance 24 hours per day. See a more complete description elsewhere on this site.
Professional users should consider purchasing an annual subscription, or single copy, of our CD-ROM based database products — the ISO 9000 Worldwide Certified Company Directory or ISO 14001 Worldwide Certified Company Directory. Each CD-ROM includes enhanced search capabilities, special tools for market analyses and specially prepared market reports. Subscribers receive four quarterly updates per year.
Management System Certification
Management system certification is intended to tell purchasers that the supplier has an overall system in place that meets the provisions of a specified international standard, technical specification or other consensus-based document within a specific scope of certification. In general, bodies that issue management system certificates — called both registrars and certification bodies — contract directly with the certified firm to provide this service under a relationship similar to that of the relationship with a financial accounting firm.
Each certification is typically limited to a certain time period, usually three years, and may be withdrawn at any time. That’s why it’s important to regularly check on the certification status of your suppliers.
Many certification bodies have the capability of issuing accredited certificates. In some cases certificates may be accredited by multiple national, or regional, accrediting organizations. Accreditation is intended to provide an added level of assurance for the ultimate purchasers of products and services from certified suppliers.
ISO 9001 Certification is intended to tell purchasers that the certificate holder has a system in place to deliver consistent products and services, that it conducts periodic internal audits of its system to assure that its key processes are functioning as intended, that it has a system for preventive and corrective actions, for measuring its key processes and for determining customer satisfaction with an eye toward improving the overall management system.
Quality Systems Update is a monthly publication dedicated to ISO 9001 and related standards.
View classes on ISO 9001 on WhoIsTraining.com.
ISO 14001 Certification is intended to tell purchasers that the certificate holder has a system in place to consider those aspects of its operations that could potentially affect the environment and to address such aspects. Certified organizations can be expected to have a system in place to respond to potential environmental disasters and other emergencies, to comply with various environmental, legal and other regulations which they are obliged to meet and to conduct periodic internal audits of the environmental management system. As in the case of ISO 9001 certification, the ISO 14001 certificate holder must also demonstrate that management periodically reviews the environmental management system to assure that the system is functioning as intended.
Environmental Systems Update is a monthly publication dedicated to ISO 14001 and related standards.
View classes on ISO 14001 on WhoIsTraining.com.
Our optional supplier monitoring service will allow purchasers to monitor supplier conformance to various international standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 from the convenience of any computer with Internet access.
Anticipated early in the first quarter of 2006, this service will allow subscribers to monitor specific suppliers listed in the WhosRegistered.com Global database. An e-mail alert will automatically be sent to the subscriber any time a change is made to the record of one of the suppliers selected for monitoring.
Our supplier monitoring service is intended to ease the administrative burden associated with purchasing requirements related to third-party certification as in the case of the automotive industry’s supplier development requirement in ISO/TS 16949.
WhosRegistered.com Global incorporates a simple mechanism to provide critical feedback on certified suppliers — directly to the issuing body. From the detailed listing screen, select “Provide Feedback.”
You also have the option of elevating your feedback to the relevant accreditation body if applicable. Simply select “Elevate Feedback” from the detailed listing screen. In most cases accreditation bodies will want to know that you attempted to provide feedback to the certification body without an acceptable outcome before elevating the request.
The ISO 9000 Advisory Group (IAG), which is comprised of some of the world’s best known experts on management systems, has concluded that the continued demand for ISO 9001 certification as a highly prized ticket to bid on government and industry contracts is likely to hinge on the certification industry's ability to obtain and act upon critical market feedback from customers of certified organizations. We urge you to make use of this important feature in WhosRegistered.com Global.
WhosRegistered.com Global requests that you give contact information so that the Certification Body and Accreditation Body can reply to you. You can view information on what QSU Publishing does with your personal information by reading our Privacy Policy
In an effort to prevent fraudulent reporting, WhosRegistered.com Global receives all of its information directly from certification bodies — the firms that actually issue each management systems certificate. While we do not charge to list certificates, we do require that all data be submitted in an acceptable form, including a minimum level of information about each certified organization.
Some certification bodies do not yet submit their data to WhosRegistered.com — either because they do not know about us, they lack the technical capability to do so or they’re simply concerned about competitive issues. To ease such concerns, we’ve recently agreed to withhold the name of any certification body that asks us to do so. We still keep this information in our files and will be happy to pass along feedback on certified suppliers through the WhosRegistered.com Global feedback mechanism described elsewhere on this site.
Remember there’s never any charge to you or your certification body for basic listings. If your listing does not appear on WhosRegistered.com Global or your listing is incorrect, we urge you to contact your certification body directly. There is no better way to tell the world about your achievement than by being part of WhosRegistered.com Global. More and more purchasers worldwide are turning to WhosRegtistered.com Global when they need to find certified suppliers.
Click here for complete instructions on submitting data.
To maintain the integrity of our data, we’d prefer you contact the issuing body to make corrections to a particular record. Please feel free to use the feedback mechanism to notify the appropriate certification body of incorrect data. From the detailed listing screen, select “Provide Feedback.”
Accreditation is intended to reduce risk for business and its customers by assuring that certification bodies are competent to carry out the work they undertake. In this context, management system certificates are accredited through one or more qualified bodies, independent of the certification body. These bodies have made an assessment that the certification body operates in conformance with accreditation standards and requirements.
This is not to say that unaccredited certificates hold no value, but some certification bodies have issued unaccredited certificates as a means of circumventing more stringent requirements to issue accredited ones.
Some purchasers prefer to see their suppliers holding certificates that are accredited by a specific accreditation body, in some cases based on national, regional or industry-specific preferences. Many of the best known accreditation bodies are members of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). You may see the IAF logo on management system certificates accredited by member organizations.
If you are purchasing certification services, one of the most important things to remember about accreditation is that not all accredited certification bodies automatically issue accredited certificates. It’s important to ask about accreditation up front.
Having an accredited certificate will generally make life easier if you ever decide to transfer your certificate to another certification body or attempt to do business with more savvy purchasers. Certification bodies typically make allowances for new clients holding certificates that are accredited by the same organization(s) to which they hold accreditation.
You should also know that certification bodies typically do not issue accredited certificates under all of the accreditations they hold. This is another potential issue you might want to clarify up front. It is common to pay an additional fee based on the number and type of accreditations assigned to a particular certificate.
Here is a list of some of the better known accreditation bodies by country along with web links where available:
The basic rule of thumb in working with suppliers of any product or service holds true with certified suppliers as well: A little homework goes a long way.
Here are a few tips to get you started from the editors of two of the industry’s most respected professional journals — Quality Systems Update (QSU) and Environmental Systems Update (ESU):
ISO 9000 and ISO 14001 certificates should not be the end of the story, but rather the beginning. You’ll want to make sure that the certificate covers all of the operations that you deem to be important in the supplier’s ability to provide goods and services or act responsibly in the case of the environment. From the detailed listing screen of WhosRegistered.com this information is found in the field labeled “Scope of Certification.”
In this same screen, note whether there is anything in the field labeled “Accreditation Mark(s).” Accreditation is intended to reduce risk for business and its customers by assuring that certification bodies are competent to carry out the work they undertake. This is not to say that unaccredited certificates hold no value, but some certification bodies have issued unaccredited certificates as a means of circumventing more stringent requirements to issue accredited ones. You’ll find more information on accreditation elsewhere on this site.
WhosRegistered.com Global does not require certification bodies to report accreditation data, but it is useful for purchasing agents in making sourcing decisions. Some purchasers prefer to see their suppliers holding certificates that are accredited by a specific accreditation body, in some cases based on national, regional or industry-specific preferences. You’ll find a list of some of the better known accreditation bodies elsewhere on this site.
Next, look at the name of the certification body that issued the management system certificate. Have you had experience with other suppliers that were certified by the same firm? You can search WhosRegistered.com Global to find out if the firm certified any other firms with whom you are familiar. Depending on your relationship with the supplier you may also be able to request the confidential audit reports associated with the management system certification.
Finally, be aware that management system certification is not an endorsement of a supplier’s products or services. This is very important to remember. In theory, certification should be an assurance that the supplier has a system in place that can provide an indication of that organization’s ability to meet your needs and expectations with regard to quality, environment or occupational health and safety management.
ISO 9001 Certification is intended to tell purchasers that the certificate holder has a system in place to deliver consistent products and services, that it conducts periodic internal audits of its system to assure that its key processes are functioning as intended, that it has a system for preventive and corrective actions, for measuring its key processes and for determining customer satisfaction with an eye toward improving the overall management system.
ISO 14001 Certification is intended to tell purchasers that the certificate holder has a system in place to consider those aspects of its operations that could potentially affect the environment and to address such aspects. Certified organizations can be expected to have a system in place to respond to potential environmental disasters and other emergencies, to comply with various environmental, legal and other regulations which they are obliged to meet and to conduct periodic internal audits of the environmental management system. As in the case of ISO 9001 certification, the ISO 14001 certificate holder must also demonstrate that management periodically reviews the environmental management system to assure that the system is functioning as intended.
Finally, don’t be shy about providing feedback on suppliers. WhosRegistered.com Global incorporates a simple mechanism to provide such feedback on certified suppliers — directly to the issuing body. From the detailed listing screen, select “Provide Feedback.” You also have the option of elevating your feedback to the relevant accreditation body if applicable. Simply select “Elevate Feedback” from the detailed listing screen. In most cases, accreditation bodies will want to know that you already attempted to provide feedback to the certification body without an acceptable outcome before taking action.
For more information on QSU or ESU
One of the most important pieces of information with respect to management system certification should be the potential return on investment. Industry journal Quality Systems Update (QSU), a related publication of WhosRegistered.com Global, has led the way in this area with a series of landmark user surveys since 1993 to ascertain the costs and benefits associated with ISO 9000 certification.
QSU attempted to contact every certificate holder on record in the United States at the time of each survey. In two of the three surveys, Canadian certificate holders were also included.
The most recent survey of ISO 9000 users in 1999 found that US and Canadian companies continued to spend less on ISO 9000 certification than they did in the two previous surveys and their overall savings-to-costs ratio was higher.
The survey found total average costs associated with ISO 9000 certification to be about $156,000, down from 187,000 in 1996 and from $245,200 in 1993. Respondents reported average total savings from certification to be $187,000 and an overall savings-to-costs ratio of 1.2.
The complete survey results are explained in a 301-page report, which is available for $49.95.
QSU Publishing is presently conducting a survey of the ISO 14001 user community along with the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center to ascertain critical return on investment data.
For more information on QSU or ESU
In addition to third-party certification to the generic international standards, some industries have created their own industry-specific requirements based on the international documents.
In some cases these sector-based requirements rely on the same basic certification/accreditation infrastructure but in other cases they do not. The automotive industry for example has replaced the traditional accreditation-based infrastructure with its own industry-specific program around ISO/TS 16949, which is operated under the watchful eye of the International Automotive Task Force (IATF), incorporating representation from some of the largest automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers in North America and Europe.
Similarly, the aerospace industry has developed a certification program around AS9100 and the telecommunications industry has developed one around TL9000 — all ISO 9001-based documents as in the case of TS 16949. The medical device industry takes a similar approach with ISO 13485, but that document omits certain requirements of the generic standard that were considered less appropriate for the heavily regulated industry.
In the case of ISO 14001, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) has created its own version of the international environmental management system standard. That document is called RC14001 and incorporates the verbatim text of ISO 14001 along with the industry’s Responsible Care requirements. ACC members also have the option of being certified to a Responsible Care Management System (RCMS) document, which does not include ISO 14001.
QSU Publishing provides contact information on certification bodies that submit data to WhosRegistered.com Global.
In the near future, we will be able to assist you in requesting free quotes from one or more certification bodies.
WhoIsTraining.com is simply the best way to compare and purchase management system training classes online at the best price and most convenient location from training providers you trust. Search by topic, date, location or training provider. Compare all the available classes and then use WhoIsTraining's easy ordering process to purchase the training that best meets your needs. You can even sort your results by price and location. WhoIsTraining.com takes the hassle out of buying training.
Now in its 15th year of publication, our flagship monthly journal Quality Systems Update (QSU) was first to report on every major development concerning the third-party registration phenomenon, including the equally important business implications.
Environmental Systems Update (ESU) enjoys a similar position in the ISO 14001 community and has recently begun incorporating coverage of OHSAS 18001 and social responsibility. We travel the world to bring subscribers the latest market intelligence and implementation strategies so they won't have to rely on a filtered view of the industry. Both journals also feature comprehensive listings of relevant training courses and recent registration achievers from our two free search engines: WhoIsTraining.com and WhosRegistered.com Global.
QSU Publishing has more of the 'write' stuff to help your organization compete in the global economy than any other source. Our online store features a complete line of professional titles from QSU Publishing, McGraw-Hill, the American Society for Quality, Goal QPC and other publishers. In some cases you’ll find our prices to be as much as 20 percent below the list price. In addition, we carry hard-to-find training videos and even software.
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