What Certifications are Needed for Electronic Products Manufacturers
Businesses need to understand that competition in the industry is getting greater and greater each day as the number of entities and or companies increases. This is even true for the electronics industry too. Each one of the electronic manufacturers should find an intrinsic strategy to sustain itself through competition by seeking to increase its customer base. Customers are not only about looking at price but will often choose a product based on several factors, but quality is always number one. Therefore, every business or manufacturer needs to make sure that they consistently meet the quality requirements of customers by improving their processes. Certifications can help significantly to achieve this purpose. The certifications for electronic products demonstrate high quality, dependability, and long lifespan of the products. Therefore, achieving the certifications will help a manufacturer to gain the trust of customers and increase the likelihood of sales. You may now be asking what are the essential certification standards for electronics? Let’s find them out in this blog.
Essential Certifications for Electronic Products Manufacturers
Certifications should not be mere badges or formal declaration for the manufacturers. Instead, they should lead to the implementation of well-planned management systems that help the manufacturing companies to deliver high-quality products and meet the expectations of the customers. Some of the essential certifications that you should get for your electronics company are:
ISO 9001
The ISO 9001 is the general certification for Quality Management System (QMS) that is applicable to any industry or sector. However, that is not the only reason for you to achieve it. It is the highest standard recognized for ensuring quality which underlines a vast set of regulations for businesses to improve their overall quality, i.e. quality of processes, as well as the quality of products and services. Therefore, it will enable you to establish a QMS that will help to improve the quality of raw materials (through supplier inspection and quality check), make the processes efficient, and deliver superior-quality and safer products.
ISO 14001
These standard benchmarks within the environmental management approach of businesses also applies to the electronic goods businesses. It lays out the requirements for establishing and operating the EMS (Environmental Management System). The manufacturing processes, as well as final products of the electronics companies, have certain impacts on the environment. Electronic wastes are toxic and non-biodegradable which makes their impacts on the environment and living beings severe. Thereby, getting this environmental management certification will demonstrate your consistent efforts in enforcing best practices and controls to reduce the impacts.
ISO 45001
Electronics manufacturers also need the ISO 45001 certification for occupational health and safety (OHS) management. It helps them to have a comprehensive management system to create a better working environment, monitor safety risks, mitigate/prevent risks, and ensure employee wellbeing. The manufacturing or handling of electronic products can cause many physical hazards to the workers including radiation, electrical shock, fire, noise, skin toxicity, etc. Therefore, achieving the certification for OHS management will help you implement stringent practices for ensuring workers’ safety which will increase their morale and competency at their jobs.
ISO 27001
This is the standard for information security management and an important one for electronics manufacturers. Most electronic devices, equipment or products need to be safeguarded from risks of IT security threats, data loss or privacy breaches. This can be ensured when the manufacturers have a well-structured Information Security Management System (ISMS) in place. The ISO 27001 helps them to establish the most appropriate ISMS through which they can assess the potential data security risks, prevent the risks and ensure the privacy of information in their products.
By having these certifications, a manufacturer can make a huge difference in the industry and move successfully to a higher position in the global supply chain. Learn how the certifications will be rewarding for your electronics business below.
Why Should Electronic Products Manufacturers Get These Certifications?
These are inevitable benefits that your business can derive if it achieves certifications.
• The certifications ensure that the designing, development, manufacturing procedures of raw materials or assembly services, packaging, and services of distribution are more efficient which in turn improves the quality of products.
• Getting a certification is not a formal recognition by the ISO but is one-side declaration that your business has earned. It means that you have implemented a management system, improved your processes to meet the standard’s requirements and gone through a meticulous audit by the certification body. Passing the audit verifies compliance of your business with the standard and on that basis, your business gets identified as a credible manufacturer.
• Any certification acquired by your business is not a one-time task. You must keep on renewing it after a given time. This drives your business to continually evaluate your performance, check for non-conformance, and find new opportunities for improvements. This will also require that you provide regular training to your employees and encourage them to maintain compliance with the certification requirements.
• Having a universal standard helps your business to compete at the global level. Many organizations or service providers look for certified suppliers which will not only fulfill their quality criteria but also help them to meet their compliance obligations. Therefore, they can find no better supplier than one that is certified, and therefore a trusted partner in that matter.
Final Word
Any of these certifications for electronic products will make sense to your business, whether it is a start-up or a full-grown enterprise. The benefits of certifications will emerge sooner or later, increasing the potential of your business to sell more and grow. Even though there are certain costs involved in the certifications, these benefits or pay-offs ensure that investing in certification is the right decision for you.
Need help getting your electronic goods business certified with a relevant ISO standard? Compliancehelp Consulting LLC has a team of experts who can guide you with consulting, documentation, training support and audit services to get your business ready for certification. Feel free to contact us.