WHAT IS CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT?
What is Conformity Assessment?
Conformity assessment is necessary when you are in a decision making process for the acquisition of a good or service, you tend to inform yourself about it, to know if it will meet your expectations, whether or not it meets the requirements it promises or meets the specific characteristics you are looking for.
Therefore, companies must comply (voluntarily or compulsory) with national or international standards and norms that meet the customer to know the commitment they have made with the competence of their staff, the quality of their processes and environmental or social responsibility.
Normally, when the commercialization of a product or service compromises public health, the environment or safety, conformity assessment becomes mandatory according to legislation.
In general terms, conformity assessment is the declaration that a service or product complies with the characteristics or requirements promised to the customer, as well as the assertion that the production processes are kept at the forefront and the methodologies updated.
The importance of this type of evaluation procedures lies in the fact that, if not properly carried out, it could lead to the rejection of goods in their commercialization or the disqualification of suppliers in bids.
For consumers, conformity assessment is a benefit that provides them with a reliable background when selecting the products or services to be purchased.
For manufacturers and suppliers, it allows them to guarantee that their products and services comply with the requirements and specifications demanded by the market, in addition to keeping their processes up to date and avoiding costs due to failures.
HOW TO DEMONSTRATE COMPLIANCE?
Conformity assessment is also defined in ISO/IEC 17000 as “the demonstration that specific requirements relating to a product, process, system, person or organization are fulfilled”. Although a “service” is not mentioned in this definition, it is because, according to ISO 9000 terminology, a service is considered as a product, in a particular way.
There are different ways to demonstrate conformity, depending on the standard or statute in which your organization is evaluated, tests, inspections, supplier declarations of conformity and certifications can be used.
In the specific case of ISO 9001, on the quality management system, the evaluation would have to be demonstrated through certification to the same standard.
Knowing the certification process of ISO standards will help you to better prepare your quality management system to comply with the 9001:2015 standard.
WHO CAN CARRY OUT A CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT?
The Ministry of Economy mentions that the Federal Law on Metrology and Standardization establishes that it is possible for private entities to fulfill the function of carrying out conformity assessment of standards by means of ocular verification, sampling, measurement, laboratory tests or document examination.
These private entities, known as evaluating agents, are classified into 4 types according to their activities and functions:
- Certification Bodies.
- Testing Laboratories.
- Calibration Laboratories.
- Verification Units.
In the specific case of Mexican Official Standards, those of a mandatory nature, the evaluating agents must be duly approved and accredited.
Accreditation is the act by which the Accreditation Entity, authorized by the Ministry of Economy, recognizes the technical competence and reliability of the evaluating agents for conformity assessment.
WHO CAN CARRY OUT A CERTIFICATION TO DEMONSTRATE COMPLIANCE WITH ISO 9001?
The accreditation entity authorized by the Ministry of Economy is the Mexican Accreditation Entity (EMA), which endorses accredited certification bodies for the evaluation of conformity to the ISO 9001 standard on quality management systems.
It is important to note that, in order to certify a quality management system, it is essential that such system is already implemented in your company. If you have already implemented or plan to do so, contact us! And we will guide you to successfully obtain the ISO 9001 certification, QAlliance, Growing together!