Government on Friday asked industry to implement ISO 9000 standards in letter and spirit with regular assessments and feedbacks from customers, to build an image of 'quality nation' and boost exports.
Many organisations might have taken ISO 9000 with certification limited purpose of getting export order, without concentrating on quality improvement on continuous basis. This would definitely not lead to the desired results of satisfying consumer expectations, Minister of state for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution V Sreenivasa Prasad cautioned.
Therefore, we advice all organisations to implement ISO 9000 in letter and spirit for building a better image of the country on the quality front and improve international trade, he said in a message to a FICCI seminar.
Currently, the compliance of ISO 9000 is on the rise in India with 6,000 companies implementing quality standards. Worldwide, over 3.5 lakh organisations in 150 countries have adopted ISO 9000 standards.
The minister said organisations should institute an ongoing assessment and measure of satisfaction.
“These assessments should seek positive as well as negative reactions and their likely effect on future business,” He said.
Prasad also asked consumer associations to step up their efforts for educating consumers about their rights and implications of product certification and quality certification for consumer protection.