AGENA3000 recently obtained ISO 9001 certification for its Quality Management System*. This certification recognises our commitment to providing high quality products and services to our customers. 

ISO 9001 is an internationally recognised quality management standard. It precisely defines the requirements that must be met to implement, maintain and improve the Quality Management System.

To achieve this, it is based on a number of key principles, including :

• Customer focus
• A process-based approach 
• Continuous improvement

Why ISO 9001 certification?

There are many reasons for certification. First of all, it formalises AGENA3000's commitment to quality and ensures that this commitment will be maintained over the long term.  

It is also a way of validating the implementation of good practices and of recognising the work done by all the employees. It's a way of instilling confidence in our customers and prospects, by referring to an internationally recognised standard.

How to obtain ISO 9001?

First of all, there is an internal audit. In our case, this was carried out by an external service provider. The internal audit is a kind of "mock" audit, the aim of which is to validate that the company is up to standard for certification and to produce a report that will be given to the certification auditor.  

Any discrepancies between the requirements of the standard and what has been implemented, known as non-conformities, must be corrected before the certification audit. 

The second audit is the certification audit. It is carried out by an accredited company. It takes place over several days and reviews all the requirements and the way in which the organisation has met them.  

If no major non-conformities are identified, certification is granted. Minor non-conformities will have to be dealt with as part of the continuous improvement process.

What are the prerequisites for obtaining the ISO9001 standard?

Implementing a Quality approach is a long process, which AGENA3000 began in 2015. The first step is to define, model and deploy its processes. AGENA3000 currently has around fifty processes that have been formalised in this way. 

Continuous improvement, customer needs and customer satisfaction must be integrated at all levels. Customer satisfaction has been measured for the past 5 years. 

Finally, within the framework of ISO 9001, there is a central document which must be drawn up and which explains how we at AGENA3000 deal with these different points: this is the QUALITY Policy. When all this is done, and it takes time, the company is ready for certification. 

Certification is obtained for a period of 3 years, at the end of which AGENA3000 must reapply for certification. Every year, a more restricted audit, known as a surveillance audit, must be carried out to ensure that compliance is maintained on key points and that any non-conformities identified are properly dealt with. 

Would you like to find out more? Contact our experts on 02 41 46 33 00, by email at hello@agena3000.com or on https://www.agena3000.com/en/contact-us.

*The scope of AGENA3000's Quality Management System (QMS) covers EDI, PIM, TPM, EFA (Electronic Invoice) and PDP (Partner Dematerialisation Platform) activities.