ISO: Foundation for building effective quality systems. (ISO 9000 standards)

ISO 9000 is a series of five standards for quality management and assurance that helps a company build a strong foundation for quality systems, three speakers said Tuesday at a session titled "Progress Through ISO 9000" at the Annual Meeting of the National Paint and Coatings Association.

What ISO 9000 is, how it can help a company, and how a company can set up a program to register for ISO 9000 were described by Michael A. Smith of Du Pont Co., Inc., Izzy Colon of Union Carbide Chemicals and Plastics Co., Inc. and John Staines of Orr & Boss.

ISO 9000 consists of five standards that focus on planning and controlling systems and procedures. The standard requires …