ISO - Standard or Business

Sorry friends, was away for quite some time due to my busy schedule & now I am partially back. Partially back becasue still busy but now trying to put some time as I got few ideas to share with. So going ahead from the last post ont he topic........

Now further claims from ISO:
"ISO standards contribute to making the development, manufacturing and supply of products and services more efficient, safer and cleaner."

Another example of escaping scope is - many companies cover only few manufacturing activities mainly technical part of it. They do not want to include other processes as TPM system specify for example, purchase, employee welfare, HRD, P&A, Accounts are seldomly involved in the implementation. Do you think, it is correct in total spirit of implementing a world class standard? Do you think it would be efficient without involving total value chain?

NO.........

your processes & hence quality can never be at world class level if your total supply chain or value chain is not involved in the combined process. Example: if you leave out your purchase to non-standard or substandard quality how can you call it of world class standard & safer? Then re-working on it, so how it can be efficient also?

Here is one more quote from ISO which itself says that in the entire system there is no mention about employees - "The International Standards which ISO develops are very useful. They are useful to industrial and business organizations of all types, to governments and other regulatory bodies, to trade officials, to conformity assessment professionals, to suppliers and customers of products and services in both public and private sectors, and, ultimately, to people in general in their roles as consumers and end users".

So contribution of ISO towards making not only manufacturing & supply of products but services also efficient & better is totally an imaginary thing & is beyond somebody’s brain to believe on such statements & claims. Tell me is it possible to have better services if one of your main or supportive function is not covered under ISO. But you can’t show me any single company where all the functions or sub processes have been covered.

I am totally puzzled when I think why is it permitted? Or why the provision is kept to permit such exclusions & then only answer I repeatedly get is that ISO is not meant for any systems – it is just to sell their own business / certificates - & again it’s a two way business for some American / European companies or whosoever sells it – HOW………ISO sells the certificate & to help them in selling these certificates, the companies demand you to be certified by ISO (because it is BETTER) & as a result the product / service from their competitor also become costlier. Therefore, ISO is not a certification now it’s a business organization which is running with the help of many companies.

Any standardization process can not be by choice that too for a so claimed world class standard. How can you think of a company manufacturing process be at world class while the person who is running it, is exploited or is not working under minimum working atmosphere guidelines for example – Companies normally ask employees for overtime during shutdown periods etc and long stay hours can extend up to 16 Hrs a day. Yes of course an off is also given or some double gap is allowed however, do you think if somebody stretches himself beyond 8 hrs that too in night shift can work safely. Can ISO justify this? It is my direct question to any of ISO consultants / experts – can they justify it? In the name of business needs we are exploiting them & no company would like to loose such opportunities and therefore, ISO permits such exclusions’ so that both are happy……Company is also happy having ISO & ISO is also happy after selling – else no one will buy it.

Learning -2 Without considering all aspects i.e. Man, Machine & Material, standard cannot be implemented in totality and it cannot be safer & efficient.

Disclaimer - This is a series of my personal views on ISO systems, its implementation, Effectiveness etc. They do not carry any legal issue related to my personal views under the human right of "Freedom of Speech".