ABSTRACT
Issued in 1994 and formerly known as BS 5750, the BS EN ISO 9000 series of quality systems have been referred to many times in the previous chapters. Those new to the quality world could be forgiven for assuming that they are the only form of quality standard in existence, which is most certainly not the case. Companies concerned with, for example, the production of military defence and aerospace equipment need to concern themselves with quality standards which have been generated to suit the specific needs of their own particular industries. Similarly, component companies and suppliers to such as the Ford Motor Company, will need to conform to that company's own particular requirements, which in the case of Ford is their Q1 System. However, that does not necessarily mean that such organizations do not have a role or need for BS EN ISO 9000. What this series of standards sets out to do is to provide quality systems which can be adopted by a wide variety of business serving any number of different industries. Companies which produce their own quality assurance management systems, which in turn conform to the requirements of the British Standard, can upon independent assessment, become registered as Firms of Assessed Capability. The number of companies which undertake this route increases every year, as does the variety of different business activities from which they come. Originally branded as being biased in favour of manufacturing industries, the Standard has now been adopted by a number of diverse businesses which include doctors' surgeries, solicitors' practices and even a public house. It is because of the adaptability of the Standard, to such diversity of applications, that it has been referred to extensively throughout the preceding chapters.
