QS 9000-vision 2000 or vision 1980? [quality assurance]

There will soon be over 80,000 organisations worldwide that have been certificated to the International Quality Management System Standard ISO 9000 Series. QS 9000 is a document produced in an unusual move of co-operation between the “big three” (Chrysler, Ford and General Motors) automotive manufacturers in the USA. On the 21st November 1994, the final piece of the jigsaw was put in place to enable meaningful third party certification to QS 9000. QS 9000 is unique in that, as well as making demands upon the subcontractor to the motor industry, it also places demands upon the certification body (registrar) and their accreditation body. The purpose of this paper is to briefly examine the way in which international standards are produced and how QS 9000 fits into this structure. The author also discusses the worldwide proliferation of registrars and accreditation bodies and looks in detail how both are regulated and the major problems that now exist within what is now a very commercial business