ISO certification and audit

Motala has Intertek Certification as an accredited client in certification and auditing services, see more detailed mention under "Customer Projects".

In cases where we do not perform certification and auditing services for a company via Intertek, we can instead help businesses plan and prepare for a certification process. We are also happy to come in and assist in maintaining and maintaining certification(s) for both new- and long-term certified.

For anyone wondering if one should go for one or more ISO certifications or want to get an assessment whether the business is ready for this, it is therefore only to get in touch. If we reach an agreement to assist, we will then, as a first step, conduct a Gap analysis against the current standard(s).

Applicable *ISO standards that we cover in accordance with a system project or certification process always require clear clarifications regarding prerequisites for reaching the company's goal. Other and subsequent conversations will have a lot of focus on system status as well as awareness and understanding of context (prerequisites and contexts for organization, system, process), internal and external conditions that affect goal achievements and intended results, as well as what requirements and regulations the organization must take into account. This is essential to ensure a good certification process and compliance with the relevant requirements in standard(s). But first and foremost, we are committed to ensuring that businesses experience continuous improvement, achieve their goals and - not least - benefit from being certified!

Anyway, some good advice to anyone thinking of an ISO certification or more:

• Start by getting to know the standards and their requirements - not in detail, but in terms of purpose, understanding of concepts and the most important requirements of a management system. Furthermore: Discuss terms such as "PDCA cycle", "measures to take into account risks and opportunities", "documented information", etc.
• Map the ISO and system competence of your organization, not least for a "driver" for the project - a fervent response is essential to achieve something!
• Ensure anchoring for investment in time and resources at senior management! And that management will actively support the work (this is not a "solo race" for a quality leader...)
• Initially, aim to establish a system that is in accordance with the current standard(s) so that it has a "maturation time" after it is established and that it is effectively implemented before a certification is ordered!
• Remember that it takes time to get a system "up to go"; focus on it has a manageable scope to begin with and instead be built on/developed eventually. The goal here should be that it can be continued with **steering speed and in a resource-wise good way, both during the non-certified and certified period.
• Do not focus on "getting a certificate on the wall" but on an efficient system that gives the business dividends in terms of quality, finance and want control!
• Go for a well-adapted and sufficiently simple system that provides good conditions for the WHOLE organization to take ownership of it!

*ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 45001:2018 and ISO 50001:2018.

**Ref. e.g. a planned boat that has come up in planes and thus is easier to steer on the way to a destination without "wobbling here and there" without necessarily having full throttle ...