Modular Wind Energy says it successfully completed the ISO 9001:2008 certification process last year. So did American Renolit Corp. for its La Porte, Ind., plant. These manufacturers were two of the more than 1.1 million certifications to the ISO standard for quality management systems that were issued last year.
According to the International Organization for Standardization's annual survey, the number of ISO 9001:2008 certifications in 2012 grew 2% over the previous year, stable growth for a mature standard.
On the other hand, at least 1,981 certifications were issued for ISO 50001, an energy management systems standard that is only in its second year. The number marks impressive growth of 332% over the previous year. ISO suggests that Germany's new energy policy -- the German Energy Transition, implemented in 2011 -- is the "driving force" behind growth of certifications, "placing Germany far ahead of other countries."
Overall, the number of certifications to all seven ISO management standards grew in 2012, the organization stated. In addition to the two standards already cited, the breakdown of the remaining standards is: ISO 14001:2004 (environmental management systems), up 9%; ISO/TS 16949:2009: (suppliers to the automotive sector), up 5%; ISO 13485:2003 (quality management for medical devices), up 12%; ISO/IEC 27001:2005 (information security management), up 13%; and ISO 22000:2005 (food safety management), up 20%.
