ISO originated from the union of two organisations – the ISO (International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations) and the UNSCC (United Nations Standard Coordinating Committee). In 1946 over 25 countries met at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London to create a new international organisation, where the objective was to ‘facilitate the international coordination and unification of industrial standards’ From this the new organisation ISO began operations in February 1947. The word ISO is derived from the Greek ISOS meaning ‘equal’. As the International Organization for Standardization would translate differently across different languages it was decided that the short form name for the organisation would be ISO.
Today the ISO has grown to a confederation of delegates representing over 150 countries and has published over 16,500 international standards. They meet on a regular basis to further develop new and existing management standards.
Each standard supports its own benefits within every industry, however the common benefits across the certifications include: widened market potential, compliance to procurement tenders, improved efficiency and cost savings, higher level of customer service, and therefore satisfaction, and heightened staff moral and motivation. By having a recognised management standard it tells your customers that you are serious about their needs.