• No – Limited documentation is required by the standard, the rest is in your hands.
• The records generated provide you and your clients with the objective evidence needed to verify that your product or service offering consistently meets their needs.
• The records supply you with an audit trail in the event of a failure so as to facilitate effective correction and preventative actions.

• Customer service at all levels – how you react to complaints, to special requests or even just to phone calls
• Product Quality – meeting the customers requirements on time, every time and with limited rejects
•  Communication channels – what is available to the customer and are they effective?
• Personnel services (HR) – are you employing the right people for the job? Are you developing the people for the betterment of the Company?

• Implement the QMS in your Company
• Train the staff on the ISO QMS and their role in the system
• Select and contract with a Certification Body that will maximise the benefit of the system for your organisation
• You will have your initial certification audit
• Once accredited, you will receive an ISO9001:2015 compliance certificate from your Certification Body, plus the use of their ISO9001 logo under certain conditions for marketing purposes.
• The accreditation operates on a 3 year cycle and is reviewed by your Certification Body annually.

• Find a professional ISO consultant that can guide you through the process of implementation and save you time and money through failed attempts.
• The savings you make from the effective use of your QMS should more than cover the cost of implementing it.

• It shows that your organisation has a business philosophy of ” Continuous Improvement” and ” Customer Satisfaction” which will differentiate you from your competitors
• Your customers will know that your business is well managed
• It will allow your organisation to focus on your business objectives and customer expectations
• It allows your organisation to put the necessary controls in place in order to allow your business processes to run efficiently and profitably while giving you the confidence of providing a quality product/service.
• By investigating properly when errors occur, and by documenting and implementing effective corrective action procedures, you will be eliminating the chance of a repeat occurrence and will be continuously improving the effectiveness of your business
•  By eliminating repeat errors, your organisation will be reducing waste which costs your business money – waste of time and/or waste of materials.
• It allows your organisation to be able to access export markets or grow your market share, as it is an internationally recognised Standard of world class Quality
• Listing of your company on the Certification body website giving your company exposure to a wide range of potential clients.

The five main stages of an EMS, as defined by the ISO 14001 standard, are described below:

1. Commitment and Policy

• Top management must commit to environmental improvement and establish a company environmental policy. This policy is the foundation of the EMS.

2. Planning

• The Company must first identify the environmental aspects of its operations and then determine which aspects are significant by choosing criteria considered most important. For example, a company may choose worker health and safety, environmental compliance, and cost as its criteria. The company must then set its objectives and targets. The final part of the planning stage is devising an action plan for meeting these targets. This includes designating responsibilities, establishing a schedule, and outlining clearly defined steps to meet the targets.

3. Implementation

• The company must then follow through with the action plan using the necessary resources (human, financial, etc.). An important component is training and creating awareness for all employees. Other important areas include documentation, following operating procedures, and setting up internal and external communication lines.

4. Evaluation

• The company must monitor its operations to evaluate whether targets are being met. If not, corrective action must be taken.

5. Review

• Top management will review the results of the evaluation to see if the EMS is working. Management must determine whether the original environmental policy is consistent with the company values and the plan must be revised to optimise the effectiveness of the EMS. This review stage creates a loop of continuous improvement for a company.

•  Improved environmental performance
• Cost savings through waste minimisation and improved energy and water usage
• Reduced risk of pollution incidents thus avoiding enforcement action by regulatory bodies
• Compliance with legislation
• Enhanced Company image due to responsible environmental practices
• New High level structure allows for easier alignment with other newly published standards.