THE STATUS OF CERTIFICATION IN THE CHEMIC AL-INDUSTRY IN GERMANY

In the efforts of many chemical companies to achieve isocertification, the following medium- and long-term goals are pursued: Strengthening quality awareness at all functional levels throughout the company (Tot al Quality Management = TQM) Enhancing market opportunities and compet itiveness Lowering the internal and external costs associated with non conforming products. This article outlines the transformation performe d within the chemical industry viz. the move away from the classical t esting/inspecting style of quality assurance to a modern preventive ty pe of quality management. It provides a survey of the current status o f ISO certification in the German chemical industry and what lies ahea d. It analyses expectations tied to this form of certification.