Management Systems

Today companies face a more and more globalized world with increasingly complex interactions . Sales markets are becoming more diverse, customer requirements more individual, and in many cases very specified solutions are required. Internal processes have to adapt more and more quickly to new requirements and at the same time guarantee a high quality. Active and preventive occupational safety that changes simultaneously with fastly developping processes has become indispensable. Without the best possible energy and resource efficiency, companies quickly lose their ability to keep up with competitors. At the same time, it is important to maintain compliance, in the context of the ever increasing legal requirements. And last but not least, it is important to keep employee satisfaction and motivation high and to take into account the stakeholders’ wishes and demand for information.

It becomes evident: Companies and their employees are confronted with challenges that cannot be mastered solely with a high level of motivation and competent employees. Management systems are important instruments that help companies overcome these challenges.
Management systems are standard in numerous companies today and are implemented in a sector-specific manner, e.g. in vehicle construction, chemistry or pharmaceuticals, and across sectors, for example in the areas of services, environment or the energy sector.

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Quality Management
(ISO 9001)

QUALITY MANAGEMENT (ISO 9001) tile image

DIN EN ISO 9001 is the international standard for quality management systems for companies and other organizations …

Environmental Management
(ISO 14001 & EMAS)

Environmental management ISO 14001 & EMAS tile image

DIN EN ISO 14001 is the standard for a voluntary, internationally recognized environmental management system for …

Occupational Health Mgmt.
(ISO 45001)

Occupational health and safety management ISO 45001 tile image

Work-related accidents can happen in any activity – whether in the office or at the workbench. Wether a cut in the finger …

Energy management
(ISO 50001)

Energy management ISO 50001 tile image

DIN EN ISO 50001 is the standard for a voluntary, internationally recognized energy management system …

WHAT IS A MANAGEMENT SYSTEM?

Management systems combine individual working methods, duties and tasks into one system. Responsibility, controlling and structures are organized and regulated. This results in a system of coordinated and interconnected units, with the help of which corporate goals can be realized in a structured manner.

Management systems are characterized by the fact that they continuously control operational processes, initiate process structuring and improve the existing processes in a company. In order to ensure this, internal audits are carried out on a regular basis, to assess the implementation, effectiveness and the improvement of the management system(s) and reveal new goals and opportunities. External audits confirm the effectiveness of management systems in an independent manner and can be recognized at the certificate.

The specially developed standards ISO 14001 (environmental management), ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety management) and ISO 50001 (energy management) provide methods and instructions on how processes can be designed in the best possible way. These management systems can be implemented individually, in parts or in connection with other systems.

A management system is usually introduced by a company’s management. To implement the system and its requirements, a creation procedure as well as the process for the implementation are organized. Whithin the creation procedure, responsibilities and competencies are defined. The implementation process secures achieving the corporate objectives. Within this process, important procedures are planned and specifications for the implementation of the objectives are set. Basis for the implementation process is the so-called PDCA cycle.

PDCA stands for Plan, Do, Check and Act:

  • Plan: Goals are set and the process by which the goals shall be achieved is determined.
  • Do: The defined procedures and processes are implemented.
  • Check: The effectiveness of the processes is monitored.
  • Act: Processes and procedures are analyzed and optimized.

Once all phases of the PDCA cycle have been completed, the cycle must start from the beginning. The phases of the PDCA cycle thus represent the superordinate principle for a successful implementation of a management system.

What management systems are there?

Management systems exist for a variety of applications. Müller-BBM Cert Umweltgutachter GmbH offers independent certifications for the following management system standards. With a click on the corresponding standard you get to further information and our offer for you:

Quality Management according to ISO 9001,

Environmental Management according to ISO 14001 and EMAS

Occupational Health and Safety Management according to ISO 45001

Energy Management according to ISO 50001

In an integrated management system, the methods and instruments for compliance with requirements from more than one management system are brought together in one structure. This superordinate structure is used to manage and monitor organizations (corporate governance) in several of the aforementioned areas.

By combining resources and using synergy effects, management can be made leaner and more efficient. For this purpose, further management systems are integrated into an already existing management system (usually the quality management system). In this way, tasks are not distributed more than once and thus costs can be saved, both internally and for the certification. With the help of benchmarks, the performance of integrated management systems can be compared across locations in order to create evaluation structures and establish “best practices” company-wide.

An overview of the advantages of management systems

  • Legal requirements are met (compliance)
  • Improvement of company performance (cost savings)
  • Provision against possible damage and protection against liability claims
  • Supply chain traceability
  • Simplification of complex process and organizational structures
  • Bundling of different management systems in the integrated management system
  • Use of synergy effects (in the case of an integrated management system)

Certification of management systems

The implementation of a management system does not necessarily require an external assessment. Nonetheless, companies increase their credibility vis-à-vis their stakeholders if they have the effectiveness of their management system confirmed by independent and objective, external auditors in the form of a certificate.

External auditors must have a corresponding, industry-specific qualification and be approved or appointed by an accreditation body. In Germany there are two accreditation systems for the certification of management systems (depending on the standard to be certified). They either refer to conformity assessment bodies or approved natural or legal persons. More precisely:

Even if the requirements are partly identical and certificates are equivalent, there are differences between the two systems. We will be happy to advise you which system is suitable for your needs.

For more information, see our certification fundamentals.

The audit cycle and the validity of the certificate for a management system extend over three years. For each year of the cycle, an audit is carried out at relevant company locations using a predefined audit program. This audit program defines the scope of the audit with regard to the standard to be audited, the divisions and, if applicable, the locations under concern.

The audit cycle begins with an initial or recertification audit – the latter, if a certificate was already available. The goal is to check whether the organization to be certified has successfully implemented all requirements of a standard. In the case of an initial certification, two separate audits are carried out. In the stage 1 audit, the status of the documentation and the conditions on the location(s) are assessed. The result is to determine whether an organization is on track to successfully complete the stage 2 audit with a certificate. The certificate is valid for three years.

In the following two years, so-called surveillance audits are carried out, to check whether the management system is effective and if it is being maintained. The scope of surveillance audits usually is smaller than the one of a certification audit. In addition to some core elements, such as the assessment of continuous improvement, internal audits and management reviews, other standard requirements and, if necessary, locations are audited on a random basis.

After the second surveillance audit, a (re-) certification audit must be conducted in the following year to maintain the certification.

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