ISO 9001 is the most widely used management system standard in the world and is an international benchmark for the Certification of Quality Management Systems.

According to ISO 9001, adopting a Quality Management System represents a strategic decision taken by an organization. In other words, it is a decision which is taken at the highest level to serve a specific purpose and achieve results.

ISO 9001 is based on the fundamental aim of an organization’s existence. It addresses the ability to satisfy customers’ needs and expectations, to increase satisfaction using a management system and to improve the organization’s overall performance.

ISO 9001 adopts a process-based approach which incorporates the PDCA cycle of continuous improvement and integrates risk-based thinking. This not only helps to bring about customer’s loyalty but it also enables the organization’s competitiveness based on the pillars of sustainability.

Certification in accordance with ISO 13485 means that an organization is able to provide medical devices and related services that consistently comply with their customer and regulatory requirements.

Organizations may be involved in one or more stages of the life cycle, including the design and development, production, storage and distribution, installation and maintenance of a medical device, and the design and development or delivery of associated activities (technical support, for example).

ISO 13485 can also be used by providers and external parties that supply products, including services related to these organizations’ quality management systems.

Under ISO 9000 standards, guidelines aimed at the manufacture of Medical Devices were developed, including sector-specific requirements.

Consequently, certification in accordance with ISO 13485 aims to facilitate the implementation of regulations and community directives.

The demanding and competitive market in which automotive manufacturers and their suppliers find themselves, requires them to adopt Quality Management Systems aimed at continuous improvement, reducing variation and waste, and focusing on defect prevention, from an overall perspective and throughout the entire value chain.

Under ISO 9000 standards, guidelines aimed at the automotive sector were developed, including, for example, specific requirements related to the expertise, awareness-raising and training of employees, the design and development of products, the production and delivery of the service, and measuring, monitoring, analysis and improvement activities.

Consequently, certification in accordance with the IATF 16949 benchmark is compulsory if an organization wishes to be included on the lists of regular suppliers for automotive manufacturers.

IATF 16949 is aligned with ISO 9001 and is subject to its structure and requirements. An organization in the automotive industry seeking IATF 16949 certification must also comply with ISO 9001.

APCER provides IATF 16949 certification in partnership with certifying bodies in the IQNet network. This helps to strengthen the exchange of experiences and the support of the auditing process for the quality management systems of the best international professionals.

The ISO/IEC 20000-1 standard sets out the requirements needed for an organization to provide their services with an acceptable level of quality for their customers (internal or external). It is fully aligned with the process management approach determined by the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) of the Office for Government Commerce (United Kingdom).

The ISO/IEC 20000-1 standard is applied to organizations that are looking to improve their services, that require a consistent approach for all service providers across the supply chain, and that want to demonstrate their ability to provide services in accordance with customer requirements.

APCER is accredited by IPAC – ‘Portuguese Accreditation Institute’, for the delivery of certification services in accordance with the ISO/IEC 20000-1 Information Technology Service Management benchmark.

The scope of the standard includes:

• Requirements for a management system;
• Service management planning and implementation;
• Planning and implementation of new services or service alterations;
• Service delivery process;
• Relationship processes;
• Resolution processes;
• Monitoring processes;
• Release processes.

The EN 694:2001+A1:2007 standard sets out the technical requirements that must be met by the producers of semi-rigid fire hoses for fixed installations. Hoses with an internal diameter of between 19mm and 25mm should be used at a maximum pressure of 1.2 MPa, and hoses with a 33mm internal diameter should be used at a maximum pressure of 0.7 MPa.

APCER provides the “Semi-rigid fire hoses for fixed installations” product certification in accordance with the EN 694:2001+A1:2007 standard. It considers additional management system requirements that organizations must implement if they want to produce this type of hose so as to ensure consistent production and to satisfy technical requirements.

The certification of this product involves the execution of a concession audit, the execution of concession tests, and annual monitoring activities including audits and follow-up tests. The certificate is valid for 5 years, at the end of which a content renewal audit is carried out which is equal to that of the concession audit.

EN 9100 establishes specific quality management requirements for the aeronautical industry. Based on ISO 9001, it has common requirements as well as additional requirements, essentially related to production, with a special focus on issues of quality, security and technology in all aspects of the industry and throughout the entire supply chain.

This standard was adopted by major manufacturers in the sector (such as Airbus, Boeing, GEAE and Rolls-Royce, for example) who require it in contracts with their business partners.

The standard is based on the high-level structure of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 which allows it to be easily integrated with those standards and with other ISO benchmarks that already use this structure./p>

The welding processes are an integral part of the manufacturing process of various products with the highest demand standards. Because welding is a process where quality cannot be determined by the product itself, this needs to be ensured by monitoring every stage of the process.

ISO 3834 establishes a series of quality requirements which allow necessary checks to be carried out to ensure the quality of the welding processes.

ISO 3834 is divided into 6 parts. 3 of these parts set out quality requirements with varying levels of demand. Part 2: Comprehensive quality requirements is the most demanding.

Certification according to this standard demonstrates that the organization has the necessary conditions to ensure a quality welding process.

The ISO 16636 standard was developed to professionalize the pest management sector and protect customers, public health and the environment. It provides clear and current requirements and recommendations and identifies the key skills that are required to deliver a high-quality service and to ensure that risks to human health and potential negative impacts on the environment are minimized.

This standard is intended for providers of professional pest management services and includes the assessment, recommendation and subsequent implementation of inspection procedures and determined procedures.

APCER is recognized by CEPA (Confederation of European Pest Management Associations) as a CEPA Certified® accreditation body CEPA Certified®.

Note: EN 16636 does not apply to the protection of field crops, to routine cleaning or to disinfection services.

This standard provides guidelines for the design and implementation of an effective and efficient complaint handling process for problems relating to all activity types, including e-commerce.

Information obtained during the complaint handling process can bring about improvements in products and processes and, where complaints are handled correctly, can improve an organization’s reputation, whatever its size, location and sector.

Handling complaints using a process specified in this standard can improve customer satisfaction.

Encouraging customer feedback information, including complaints if the customer is not satisfied, can provide opportunities to maintain or improve customer loyalty and recognition, and improve national and international competitiveness.

ISO 10667 “Provision of assessment services. Procedures and methods for the assessment of people in working and organizational contexts” is comprised of two parts:

• Part 1: Customer requirements
• Part 2: Requirements for service providers

These standards organize the process of assessing people in working environments from a perspective based on measurable evidence which is applicable at an international level.

In line with this framework, the two standards provide clear and concise guidance for the providers of assessment services and their customers with the aim of allowing all stakeholders and relevant parties to benefit from good assessment practices.