Spain
Accredited vehicle inspections save society 815 EUR millions and over 133 lives per year
Research by the Motor Vehicles Security Institute (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid) regarding the “Contribution of driving vehicle inspection to road safety and environment” reveals that vehicle technical inspections, which must be accredited by ENAC (the Spanish Accreditation body) according to ISO 17020 as required in Royal Decree 920/2017, play a significant role in protecting […]
ISO 50001 reduces Mutua Madrileña costs by 7.5% per year
Mutua Madrileña, a large insurance and real-estate company, that adopted accredited certification to ISO 50001 to achieve greater resource efficiency. Since ISO 50001 implementation in March 2014, the business has reduced its environmental footprint by 21.9%, and lowered its electrical and gas consumption by 20.5% and 27.7% respectively. The total cost savings since implementation equate to […]
ISO 9001 certification used as a measure in Global Innovation Index
The Global Innovation Index (GII) provides detailed metrics about the innovation performance of 127 countries and economies around the world. The index is the result of a collaboration between Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The GII has gained international recognition, establishing itself as both a leading reference on innovation and […]
Does ISO 9001 pay? – An analysis of 42 studies
This article, written by Basak Manders and Henk J. de Vries from the Rotterdam School of Management Erasmus University, summarises key results from 42 scientific studies showing that implementing ISO 9001 does enhance financial performance. The researchers looked at financial indicators such as return on assets, sales, investment and equity, and profit margin, profitability, increased […]
Mutual recognition of certification has significant effect on trade in the food, beverage and tobacco industry
The authors examine how third party certification with quality management standards and mutual recognition of certification through international agreements of accreditation bodies creates trust between trading partners and increases bilateral trade. They focus on the food, beverage and tobacco industry and use augmented gravity models for the 2000-2008 period. Their results show that quality management […]
Exploring business benefits of internationally recognized certifications
The authors base their paper on data from a global company survey of certified companies carried out by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) in 2010/11. They use multivariate Probit and ordered Probit models to analyze how company internal and external factors influence the perception of benefits from accredited certification. Benefits from accredited certification are divided […]
79% of Spanish firms considers ISO 18001 (OHSAS) certification makes it easier to comply with legal obligations
Research based on 131 Spanish companies of various sizes across the industrial, construction and service sectors, found that 79% agreed ISO 18001 certification for Occupational Health & Safety makes it easier to comply with legal obligations. Furthermore, 78% agreed it improved internal organisation and documentation systems and 67% felt it improved their corporate image. The report concludes […]
Third party accredited certification support product safety
A Europe-wide study conducted by the International Federation of Inspection Agencies (IFIA) has revealed that nearly 80% of products tested bearing the CE Mark through self-declaration of conformity (SDoC) did not comply with EU Regulations. The survey also found that 16% of products showed safety-critical failures, resulting in a high risk of shock or fire. […]
Spanish firms certified to ISO 22000 improve their services and achieve major external benefits
A study based on 105 responses of Spanish ISO 20000 (IT Service Management) certified firms (Cots, Casadeus and Marimom, 2016) by applying SEM, a multivariate statistical technique that is widely used in the literature, showed that certification contributed to significant benefits such as the marketing proposition, company reputation, the ability to satisfy existing and future […]
Comprehensive literature review of 82 scientific studies shows clear benefits of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001
A comprehensive literature review of 82 scientific studies relating to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 (Tari, Molina-Azorin and Heras, 2012) concludes that both management system standards provide clear benefits on operational. people and customer performance. Download a copy of the review.
65% of ISO 9001 certified companies obtain high levels of internal and external benefits
A study of 288 ISO 9001 certified Spanish companies found that 65% of companies obtained very high levels of internal and external benefits (Casadesus and Gimenez, 2000). A full copy of the report is available here.
Spanish companies improve customer relationships with ISO 9001 certification
A survey of more than 500 Spanish companies with ISO 9001 certification (Prado-Roman et al, 2016) concluded that more than 80% reported an increase in customer satisfaction and loyalty, and a reduction in complaints and product defects. A full copy of the report is available here.
ISO 9001 certification supports success for Spanish construction companies
Survey responses from 126 Spanish ISO 9001 certified construction companies (Prado-Roman et al, 2016) showed that: 74% agree that ISO 9001 is highly or extremely relevant for organisational process improvements 86% consider that ISO 9001 is highly or extremely relevant to achieve commercial success 74% consider that ISO 9001 is relevant for financial success 98% […]
Guide for the Use of Standards and Accreditation in public procurement
The Spanish Public Sector Contract Law 9/2017, which came into force in March 2018, aims to provide greater transparency, better value for money, and increased economic rationality of public funds. It considers that public purchase processes should include qualitative, environmental, social and innovative aspects which aim to “award criteria to obtain the highest quality works, […]
Intrer-governmental agency promotes use of quality infrastructure to make renewable energy investment decisions
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation that supports countries in their transition to a sustainable energy future, and serves as the principal platform for international cooperation, a centre of excellence, and a repository of policy, technology, resource and financial knowledge on renewable energy. It has published a summary document for policy […]
ISO Economic Benefits of Standards
This publication is intended to assist businesses and individuals to demonstrate the tangible benefits that standards bring to organisations – and, more generally, to citizens and society, by: Highlighting how standards create value for the organizations that use them, and how we calculate the value of standards, and Providing factsheets of case studies that quantify […]
Standards for SMEs
This video, produced by CEN/CENELEC, shows how standards can help SMEs. The video can be viewed on YouTube.
What’s the bottom line?
This ISO publication sets out how standards provide solutions and achieve benefits for almost all sectors, including agriculture, construction, mechanical engineering, manufacturing, distribution, transport, healthcare, ICT, the environment, and energy. The publication includes external data that demonstrates the impact of standards on certain industries: According to the Canberra-based Centre of International Economics, a sampling of […]
What ISO standards can do for you as an SME
As a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) looking to expand your business, this ISO brochure shows you how ISO International Standards can enhance your business as they have done for thousands of other small enterprises before you.