The International Organization for Standardization widely known as ISO is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various

national standards organizations. Founded on 23 February 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial, and commercial standards. It has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Members
ISO has 162 national members out of the 205 total countries in the world.

A map of standards bodies who are ISO members ISO has three membership categories:
Member bodies are national bodies considered the most representative standards body

in each country. These are the only members of ISO that have voting rights.
Correspondent members are countries that do not have their own standards

organization. These members are informed about ISO's work, but do not participate in standards promulgation.
Subscriber members are countries with small economies. They pay reduced

membership fees, but can follow the development of standards.

What is ISO 9000?

The term `ISO 9000' is usually used to refer to a set of intimately related standards. One standard is a roadmap for the others. These standards cover quality design, quality management, and quality assurance for different kinds of companies depending on the extent to which they design as well as manufacture products. Another one of the standards covers risks, costs and benefits, management responsibility, quality system principles, and other building blocks that help users customize quality standards to conform to real-life situations. In the rest of this column the term ISO 9000 will be used to refer to this set of quality-related standards. ISO 9000 is a set of five International Standards for Quality Assurance. ISO 9000 contains guidelines for the other four standards. ISO 9001 is intended for suppliers who do a lot of design or customization. ISO 9002 involves standards for both production and installation. ISO 9003 is guidelines for final test and inspection. ISO 9004 is designed to help managers develop a substantial quality system (Bureau of Business Practice). The ISO 9000 standards are not rules, but merely a set of guidelines that organize their processes and make it more cost effective.

How does the series on 9000 work?

As businesses change and become more complex, ISO has adapted to meet these demands. ISO has come up with 9001, 9002, 9003 etc. to cover different aspects of the business.

Figure: Brief explanation of ISO 9000 series.

The table explains the difference between the series and what they objectives are. Companies choose which series they use based on the scope of their operation

ISO 9000:2000 and ISO 9001:2000

Earlier till December 2000, there used to be ISO 9000, ISO 9001, ISO 9002 and ISO 9003 standards. During December 2000, the International Organization for Standardization merged all of them into a revised ISO 9001 standard. To distinguish between the earlier standards and the revised one, the later was referred to as ISO 9001:2000 or ISO 9000:2000. For all practical purposes, ISO 9000 and ISO 9001 connote the same, and 2000 indicates the year of its revision.

Why is ISO 9000 Important?

ISO 9000 is important in the first instance because it gives organizations some guidance on how to manage for quality. Secondly, mechanisms exist by which an organization can be certified for conforming to ISO 9000 specifications. With this certification in hand, an organization can better sell its product or service to its customer. It can say that the product or service is the result of a process that continually tested for quality.

INTERNAL BENEFITS.
Whether certification is required or not, ISO 9000 series certification provides a variety of internal benefits. First, ISO 9000 certification leads to better documentation of company processes. This, in turn, leads to more efficient production processes and less waste. Both save money for a company. Second, managers and other employees become more aware of quality. They begin to view operations through a "quality of management" lens. This leads to a more efficient company that can be more competitive in the marketplace. Third, employee morale improves. When employees feel that they are part of the process, they accept responsibility for quality. This creates an incentive for workers to do a better job and makes the company more efficient. Fourth, cooperation and communication are improved. Documenting procedures facilitates communication and promotes cooperation. Fifth, production processes can be made more efficient. When there is better coordination of processes, there is less "down time," and resources are shared among departments more efficiently. Sixth, fewer defective products are produced. Better quality results in fewer defects, less scrap, and, therefore, lower production costs. Finally, documentation of safety standards results in fewer

accidents. In turn, there is less downtime for employees. The ultimate results are more efficient workers and lower costs of production.

EXTERNAL BENEFITS.
Similarly, there are many potential external benefits. The first is that company prestige increases. Companies following ISO 9000 series standards are perceived as "good corporate citizens" that produce higher quality products. Thus, they gain prestige that can help retain old customers and attract new ones. Second, it improves customer satisfaction. Higher quality means higher customer satisfaction. Further, the manufacturer of a product is certified, a customer may feel better about the product even if it is, in fact, of no higher quality than that of a non-certified manufacturer. Third, it creates a higher level of trust. Customers perceive a certified company as being more trust worthy than a non-certified company. Fourth, it reduces the need for customer audits. With certification, a company has already been audited. Therefore, customers will not feel a need to audit every time they want to do business with a company. This can result in major savings. For example, it is reported that in some industry segments in the United States, a facility may be subject to dozens of audits per year; in some cases it may be as many as 30 per month. Fifth, it can help a company increase its market share. Certified companies gain access to markets that require ISO certification, and they can deepen penetration of existing markets. Finally, the company can respond more quickly to market needs. With better quality procedures, it is easier to develop and market new product lines. Being the first to reach a market results in higher profits for the company.

Various Indian Companies Using ISO 9000 Series

http://vardhmanthreads.co m/

ISO 9001:2000

http://www.vardhmansteel.com/m anufacturer/specialsteel/vardhman/ http://owmnahar.com/spinning/qu ality.php Fabrics

ISO 9001 ISO 9002 For Quality Systems Management ISO-9001 For Quality Management System Quality Management System Standard: ISO 9001:2008

http://owmnahar.com/woollen_mi ll/certification.php

http://www.tata.com/article.aspx? artid=mSJsSpP9lLc=

ISO 9000, ISO 14000, OHSAS 18000, TS 16949 and ISO 27000

Application in the Textile and Apparel Industries:

Textile and apparel industries have many complicated activities and challenges involved in the course of its operation. Their operation incurs heavy expenditure to the manufacturers. Many textile and apparel industries have implemented ISO standards to lower its operating costs and improve the quality of its output, ultimately increasing the level of customer satisfaction. Textile and apparel industries account for a sizable percent of manufacturing jobs in a global perspective. They employ millions of people directly and indirectly. They form a massive industrial complex and prove to be a big contributor among the manufacturing industries of any country. Some textile and apparel industries view ISO certification is only necessary as a factor for exports. But, the main matter of concern in textile industry is that an imperative relation exists between the quality of the materials and the quality of the final product. ISO standards enable the industry to enhance the quality of raw material input, thereby strengthening the quality of the ultimate product. This will result in a systematic approach to management, incessant performance improvement, factual approach towards the decision making process, and a mutually benefiting suppliers relationship. Thus is helps the manufacturers in 'Weaving a Quality Industry'. Market for ISO Certification: As every day passes by, global competition is heating up. Textile and apparel industries are in the midst of major changes. To keep pace with the market scenario, industries rely more on quality and innovative fabrics, and apparels and quick response to the needs of the customer. Innovations in the fields of nanotextiles, nonwovens, electro textiles, medical textiles, and geo textiles are providing new opportunities for the manufacturers and tap the market. Simultaneously, these opportunities also encompass them with critical challenges. Organizations today engage in many international trade activities, and this certification proves a pre-requisite for their survival in international competition. ISO certification helps the companies in market creation and penetration. Benefits of ISO: Implementation of ISO helps the textile and apparel industries to enhance their product and process quality, minimizes defective supplies and reworking. Furthermore, it can also be used as a marketing tool. As it is a well-recognized standard for quality, it shows the customers that the company takes quality seriously. ISO certified companies focus more on the quality of its products and operations. It also motivates the employees in improving quality. The cost of implementing ISO is comparatively cheaper to the benefits derived out of it. Many ISO certified companies positively assert that their total costs went down to a considerable extent regarding quality maintenance after the implementation of ISO.

CONCLUSION
Certification of businesses to the ISO 9000 series standards is increasing rapidly around the world. Many companies see implementation of the standards as an investment in the future. They are convinced that the program will pay for itself as it results in lower production costs and greater efficiency in operation as well as access to new markets and new customers. In many industries, certification has almost become a necessity for doing business. And in some countries, such as in the EU, certification is mandatory in certain industries. Yet, the ISO 9000 series standards are process standards, not product standards. Their widespread use throughout the world is creating desirable harmonization in terms of providing goods to the public. But the ISO 9000 series standards do not guarantee quality products from the companies that participate in the program.

REFRENCE

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_9000 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Organization_for_Standardization 3. http://www.iso.org/iso/home.html 4. What it means to be ISO 9000 Certified. By Anthony Nurre, Yusuf Gunaman Dennis De-Almeida 5. ISO Certification for Textile and Apparel Industries By: Fibre2Fashion.com 6. http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/Int-Jun/ISO-9000.html 7. http://www.iso9000resources.com/ba/ISO-9001-logos.cfm 8. http://www.acm.org/tsc/iso9000.htm 9. http://www.isixsigma.com/community/awards-and-standards/introduction-iso-9000-9001-9002-iso90002000-2/