Research

Positive impact of integrated management system certification for Portuguese SME’s

Research based on SMEs across a variety of sectors in Portugal highlights the benefits of ISO 9001 (QMS), ISO 14001 (EMS) & ISO 18001 (OHSAS) certification around increased company reputation and integration in the community, environmental protection and efficiency savings, meeting legislation requirements and improved working conditions. The key element of this research was to explore the benefits gained from the integration of these management systems and the report concludes that the potential benefits “will be mostly a whole range of opportunities for performance improvements of the organization as a whole, and throughout its supply chain such as: the elimination of conflicts between individual systems with resource optimization , creation of added value to the business by eliminating several types of wastes, reducing the number of internal and external audits, common policy  management, greater valuation and motivation of collaborators, among others” (Santos, Rebelo, Barros & Pereira, 2012). These benefits will enhance the company’s competitive edge, both nationally and internationally.

A copy of the report is available here.