ISO 9000 certification provides a way for companies to show they have met certain quality guidelines.
Companies who have become ISO 9000 certified are required to adhere to a certain set of guidelines to maintain their certification. A large number of clients will look to see if these standards, which measure the quality management systems of an organization are in place to continue or begin doing business with a business. If a company is willing to participate in certification training, they can earn their ISO 9000 certification. Potential customers need to look at a number of factors to find out if the certificate of company they desire to work with is legitimate.
Instructions
1. Ask the company to let you see a copy of the certificate. If you are not located near the company, ask them to fax you a copy of the certificate.
2. Look at the actual copy to find the title of a known registrar such as Bureau Veritas Quality International, which operates globally, or the Canadian General Standards Board, which only deals with Canadian companies. Keep in mind that ISO registrars are the only entities who are able to give these certificates to an organization. See Resources for a link to a list of ISO registrars.
3. Contact the registrar and find out if it has ever granted an ISO 9000 certificate to the company in question. Be sure to tell the registrar the reason you want to find this out, so they can guide you to the appropriate person.
4. Look at the valid dates. Check the dates on the certificate to make sure they are still in effect. If it is an outdated certificate, find out why they have not had it renewed by asking the company.
