SGS Awarded IRIS Certification Projects in Malta and Turkey

Nov. 1, 2013 - PRLog -- IRIS certification, developed by the Association of European Railway Industries (UNIFE), has become the universal quality standard in the railway industry and an international seal of quality recognized by both rail producers and operators. IRIS regulations and guidelines provide a high level of transparency for the auditing of component and equipment suppliers to the railway industry. Since 2007 IRIS certification (http://www.sgs.com/en/Industrial-Manufacturing/Services-Related-to-Production-and-Products/Quality-Control/IRIS-Certification.aspx) has been the recognized seal of quality around the world for the rolling stock sector.

Association of European Railway Industry (UNIFE)

UNIFE (http://www.unife.org/page.asp?pid=2) represents member interests at both the European and international levels. The mission of the association is to proactively develop an environment in which UNIFE members can provide competitive railway systems for increasing rail traffic capacity. UNIFE members are European companies responsible for the design, manufacture, maintenance and refurbishment of rail transport systems, subsystems and related equipment.

SGS IRIS Certification Body Projects
SGS is an UNIFE approved IRIS Certification Body. Steve Williams, the first IRIS Lead Auditor for SGS CORREL Rail, was trained in June 2012. Qualified in 18 of the 20 product scopes, Mr. Williams holds the highest SGS IRIS auditor qualification worldwide.

To date, SGS CORREL has been assigend 4 IRIS certification (http://www.sgs.com/en/Industrial-Manufacturing/Services-Related-to-Production-and-Products/Quality-Control/IRIS-Certification.aspx) project contracts with companies in Malta and Turkey, all of whom are new clients. Each contract is currently scheduled to last for 3 years but it is highly probable that all will be extended indefinitely. Depending on the size and location of each project, teams of 2-3 auditors could be implemented, although it is most likely that sole auditors will be used.

Methode Electronics of Malta contracted SGS for IRIS certification in June 2012 due to the fact that SGS had already provided ISO 9001 certification, allowing Methode to save money by significantly reducing on-site audit time. Methode received IRIS certification in the scope of power system, auxiliary systems, cabling and cabinets and single railway components. Furthermore, the contracts for Turkish companies Medel Inverters (October 2012), RC Muhendislik (October 2012) and Avitas (February 2013) were negotiated by a local partner who provided additional training and consultancy on IRIS, providing a successful, comprehensive package evidenced by all achieving certification. Medel Inverters received IRIS certification in the scope of power system, propulsion, auxiliary systems, cabling and cabinets and HVAC. While RC Muhendislik received IRIS certification in the scope of car body and car body fittings, Avitas acquired IRIS certification for interiors and single railway components.

SGS IRIS Certification Services
IRIS certification (http://www.sgs.com/en/Logistics/Transportation/Rail/Rail-...) substantially benefits companies wanting to sell products and services to international railway operators. The International Railway Industry Standard (IRIS) is a common, global method for evaluating business management systems throughout the railway supply chain. Based on ISO 9001 and tailored to requirements specific to the international railway industry, IRIS certification is recommended when selling in Europe.

SGS auditors possess the in-depth knowledge of the industry and its certification standards necessary to guide suppliers through the audit process to IRIS certification. Achieving IRIS certification demonstrates a commitment to quality (http://www.sgs.com/en/Construction/Services-Related-to-Su...) and safety and opens doors to new markets.

IRIS certification requirements are an integral part of the management systems of business within the railway (http://www.sgs.com/en/Logistics/Transportation/Rail.aspx) (http://www.sgs.com/en/Logistics/Transportation/Rail.aspx) supply chain and provide key benefits for system integrators, equipment manufacturers and operators. IRIS certification enables system integrators to improve quality among various production sites, eliminate the need for own-approval audits and access accurate and reliable data from one common IRIS web database. Equipment manufacturers attain higher visibility within the industry by entering and updating data on the IRIS platform, making information regarding successful IRIS certification available to systems integrators and prospective clients. SGS accreditation to provide both ISO 9001 and IRIS certification saves equipment manufacturers time and money. Operators benefit from IRIS certification of industry producers and suppliers in that improvements across the entire supply chain enhance the quality of both railway equipment and rolling stock systems assets.

On-site SGS auditors develop railway quality management systems by assessment using IRIS certification standards and improve overall performance with SGS audit, certification and training services. Inspectors provide audit sampling and documentation review of procedures and processes. Upon the successful completion of the readiness review and certification audit, approved SGS IRIS experts award compliant candidates the IRIS certificate.

SGS is happy to assist companies in Malta and Turkey with its comprehensive IRIS certification services.

For further information, please contact:

SGS Industrial Services
Gary Winstanley
Business Development Manager
SGS CORREL Rail
GEE House, Holborn Hill,
Birmingham. B7 5PA.
United Kingdom
t: +44 (0)121 326 3672
f: +44 (0)121 328 5343
E-mail: industrial.pr@sgs.com

www.sgs.com/rail

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 75,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,500 offices and laboratories around the world.