a) ISO 9001:2008

ISO 9001:2008 has been developed in order to introduce clarifications to the existing requirements of ISO 9001:2000 and to improve compatibility with ISO 14001:2004. ISO 9001:2008 does not introduce additional requirements nor does it change the intent of the ISO 9001:2000 standard.

No new requirements were introduced in this edition but, in order to benefit from the clarifications of ISO 9001:2008, users of the former version will need to take into consideration whether the clarifications introduced have an impact on their current interpretation of ISO 9001:2000, as changes may be necessary to their QMS
Benefits from an in-depth ISO 9001 implementation:

     •  Creating an Organisation structure, functional and flexible for growth.
     •  Practical and easily implementable systems and procedures
     •  Developing a more systematic approach to day-to-day operations
     •  Consistency in the quality of the product or service being achieved
     •  High awareness of quality achieved, throughout the organisation

Reduction in Operating Costs, like:

          •  Procurement and storage costs.
          •  Employee Costs.
          •  Equipment costs – on operations and maintenance.

b) ISO 14001:2004                                                                                                                                                      

ISO 14001:2004 – Environment Management System is the most important and internationally reputed Environmental Management System Standard in the world. It is designed to assist any type of organisations to meet its responsibility for securing the future condition of our environment. The Standard is designed to ensure energy and cost savings.

Benefits from an in-depth implementation of the ISO 14001:
An EMS based on the ISO 14001:2004 Standards enables an organization of any size or type to control the impact of its activities, products or services on the environment. Some clear and tangible benefits include:

•	Reduced cost of waste management
•	Savings in consumption of energy and materials
•	Practical ways being developed to manage environmental issues
•	Improved corporate image
•	Increased efficiency of existing environmental protection measures
•	Improved awareness on environment protection among all employees
•	Minimizes international trade barriers

c) OHSAS 18001:2007- Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems                                                     

Requirements:
     •  specifies requirement for an occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system, to enable an organization to control its          OH&S risks and improve its performance.
     •  It does not state specific OH&S performance criteria, nor does it give detailed specifications for the design of a management system.
     •  OHSAS 18001:2007 supersedes OHSAS 18001:1999, but remains current until 2009.
     •  There have been a number of significant changes to the document since the first edition was published in 1999.

Modification in OHSAS 18001:2007 when compared to OHSAS 18001:1999  

     •  The importance of "health" has now been given greater emphasis.
     •  OHSAS 18001 now refers to itself as a standard, not a specification, or document, as in the earlier edition. This reflects the increasing          adoption of OHSAS 18001 as the basis for national standards on occupational health and safety management systems.
     •  The "Plan-Do-Check-Act" model diagram is only given in the Introduction, in its entirety, and not also as sectional diagrams at the start          of each major clause.
     •  Reference publications in Clause 2 have been limited to purely international documents.
     •  New definitions have been added, and existing definitions revised.
     •  Significant improvement in alignment with ISO 14001:2004 throughout the standard; and improved compatibility with ISO 9001:2008.
     •  A new requirement has been introduced for the consideration of the hierarchy of controls as part of OH&S planning
     •  Management of change is now more explicitly addressed
     •  A new clause on the "Evaluation of compliance" has been introduced, as per ISO 14001:2004
     •  New requirements have been introduced for participation and consultation
     •  New requirements have been introduced for the investigation of incidents

d) IMS (Integrated Management System)                                                                                                                 

Integrating Quality (ISO 9001), Environment (ISO 14001), Health and Safety (OHSAS 18001) , Social Accountability SA 8000 , Information security Management System ISO 27001  or any two or three of them Effective Integrated Management Systems (IMSs) take into consideration all activities that have an effect on the business and are implemented at all levels within an organisation regardless of its size or function. A management system, be it quality, health & safety, environmental, social accountability or information security, should operate seamlessly across all components as part of the day-to-day business functioning. Integration brings together the processes of these systems for effective business management.

e) TS 16949:2009                                                                                                                                                      

'New version TS 16949:2009 has been issued in June-2009, Please update your old system TS 16949:2009 as per the new version.'
ISO/TS 16949:2009 is an ISO Technical Specification, developed by The International Automotive Task Force (IATF), in conjunction with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It aligns the existing American (QS-9000), German (VDA6.1), French (EAQF) and Italian (AVSQ) automotive quality systems standards within the global automotive industry, with the aim of eliminating the need for multiple certifications to satisfy multiple customer requirements.

Together with ISO 9001:2008, ISO/TS 16949:2009 specifies the quality system requirements for the design/development, production, installation and servicing of automotive related products. In addition, there are customer specific requirements that are required by individual subscribing vehicle manufacturers.

f) ISO 13485: 2003                                                                                                                                                       

     •  To establish a quality management system that is oriented towards the design, development, production, and installation of medical          devices and related services .
     •  To demonstrate your ability to supply medical devices and related services those meets customer expectations and comply with          regulatory requirements.
     •  T o evaluate how well your organization is able to meet customer expectations and comply with regulatory requirements.
     •  T o become certified or registered.

ISO 13485 is not a product standard. It's a process standard . Therefore, it's not enough to establish a quality management system that complies with the ISO 13485 standard, you also need to comply with all relevant product and service oriented technical standards and regulations.

g) ISO/IEC 17025:2005 (NABL)                                                                                                                                 

NABL accreditation is a formal recognition of the technical competence of a testing or calibration laboratory for a specific task following ISO/IEC 17025 Standard. This is based on third party assessment. WTO recognizes non-acceptance of test results and measurement data as Technical Barrier to Trade (TBT). Accreditation is considered to be the first essential step towards removing such technical barriers.

h) SA 8000:2008 (Social Accountability 8000:2008)                                                                                               

SA8000, an auditable standard for a third-party verification system, setting out the voluntary requirements to be met by employers in the workplace, including workers' rights, workplace conditions, and management systems. The normative elements of this standard are based on national law, international human rights norms and the conventions of the ILO. The  SA8000 standard can be used along with the

SA8000 is verifiable through an evidenced-based process. Its requirements apply universally, regardless of a company's size, geographic location, or industry sector.

Complying with the requirements for social accountability of this standard will enable a company to:

a) Develop, maintain, and enforce policies and procedures in order to manage those issues which it can control or influence;

j) ORGANIC CERTIFICATION                                                                                                                                         

Organic farming is a holistic system of farm design and management that seeks to create a healthy ecosystem with sustained profitability. It provides weed and pest control through mutually dependent diverse life forms, recycling of plant and animal residue, crop selection and rotation, water management, tillage and cultivation. Pest and disease management is also attained by balanced host predator. Soil fertility is maintained and enhanced by optimising soil biological activity as a means to provide a balanced nutrient supply for plant and animal life as well as to conserve soil resources.

Is your organisation (Farm) concerned of:
     •  Value Addition
     •  Diversification to Reduce the Economic Risk
     •  Accessing Better Markets
     •  Minimizing External Inputs
     •  Optimizing Recycling
     •  Reducing Expenses

KOSHER CERTIFICATION

It is a set of biblical dietary guidelines followed by people of the Jewish faith, Muslims and other Christian groups such as Seventh Day Adventists.

It is interesting, that statistics show that the majority of kosher consumers are not Jewish! As a mater of fact not even any religious group at all! The majority of kosher consumers are regular, ordinary people that perceive kosher to be “cleaner”, “better” & “healthier”! Which certainly may be the case, but isn't what kosher means!

HALAL CERTIFICATION

Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted. The opposite of Halal is Haram, which means unlawful or prohibited. Halal and Haram are universal terms that apply to all facets of life. However, we will use these terms only in relation to food products, meat products, cosmetics, personal care products, food ingredients, and food contact materials. While many things are clearly Halal or clearly Haram, there are some things which are not clear. These items are considered questionable or suspect and more information is needed to categorize them as Halal or Haram. Such items are often referred to as Mashbooh, which means doubtful or questionable.

The benefits of Halal certification are clear: knowing a product is Halal certified means they don't have to bother checking all the ingredients. They can purchase the product with the assurance it does not contain anything that is haram or doubtful.

k)TQM – Total Quality Management                                                                                                                              

TQM is a management philosophy that works to integrate all key functions in an organisation to focus on meeting customer needs and the organization's own objectives. The basic objective of TQM is "Do the right things, right the first time, every time".

An organization is a collection of processes. Through the TQM one strives to continuously improve each of these processes by incorporating the knowledge and experiences of all the participants. TQM has now moved beyond the realm of manufacturing and is now widely recognized as a generic management tool, just as applicable in service and public sector organizations. It is today considered the very foundation for basic improvement activities like:

•	Fulfilling customer requirements	•	Constantly challenging quantified goals and benchmarking
•	Reducing product and service costs	•	Reducing development cycle times
•	Ensuring commitment by senior management and all employees	•	Just In Time/Demand Flow Manufacturing
•	Improving employee involvement and empowerment	•	Line Management ownership
•	Setting up small improvement teams	•	Focusing on process improvements
•	Recognition of achievements

Thus TQM needs to be practiced across all processes like Manufacturing, Marketing, Engineering, R&D, Sales, Purchasing, HR, etc.

l) Six Sigma                                                                                                                                                                 

Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects in any process, by constantly striving towards six standard deviations between the mean and the nearest specification limit, applicable from manufacturing to transactional and from product to service. The statistical representation of Six Sigma describes quantitatively how a process is performing. To achieve Six Sigma, a process must not produce more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. A Six Sigma defect is defined as anything outside of customer specifications.

The fundamental objective of the Six Sigma methodology is the implementation of a measurement-based strategy that focuses on process improvement and variation reduction through the application of improvement projects. This is accomplished through the use of two Six Sigma sub-methodologies: DMAIC and DMADV. The Six Sigma DMAIC process (defines, measure, analyze, improve, control) is an improvement system for existing processes falling below specification and looking for incremental improvement and also used to develop new processes or products at Six Sigma quality levels. It can also be employed if a current process requires more than just incremental improvement. Both Six Sigma processes are executed by Six Sigma Green Belts and Six Sigma Black Belts, and are overseen by Six Sigma Master Black Belts.

General Electric, one of the most successful companies implementing Six Sigma, has estimated benefits on the order of $10 billion during the first five years of implementation. GE first began Six Sigma in 1995 after Motorola and Allied Signal blazed the Six Sigma trail. Since then, thousands of companies around the world have discovered the far reaching benefits of Six Sigma.

m) 5S                                                                                                                                                                            

5S is an abbreviation from the Japanese words Seiri, Seiton, Seison, Seiketsu, and Shitsuke. They are simple but effective methods to organize the workplace as you can see from the English translations, i.e., housekeeping, workplace organization, cleanup, keep clean and discipline.
Each is defined as follows:

•	Housekeeping - Separate the needed items from unneeded items. Keep only what is immediately necessary on the shop floor
•	Workplace Organization -Organize the workplace so that needed items can be easily and quickly accessed. A place for everything and everything in its place
•	Cleanup - Sweeping, washing, and cleaning everything around working area immediately
•	Cleanliness - Keep everything clean for a constant state of readiness
•	Discipline - Everyone understands, obeys, and practices the rules when in the plant

The 5S Philosophy focuses on effective work place organization and standardized work procedures. It simplifies the work environment, reduces waste and non-value activity while improving quality efficiency and safety.