ISO Management Systems
November - December 2009

Special Report

Best practice in MSS implementation

Readers of ISO Management Systems, including those of you who have written articles for past issues, are invited to contribute to this round-up. Please send concise descriptions of best practice you have been involved in, or witnessed, in the setting up and operation of a management system, and/or in a certification programme. The best practice could concern any aspect of such a programme.

Please keep your contributions short and to the point. A well written piece of 300 words has more chance of being published than one that rambles on and on. Please include your photo (300 dpi resolution), job title, and e-mail and Website address (if you have one).

You should also include the name and business activity of the organization in which the best practice took place, along with its e-mail and Web site address if they are different from yours. A photo of the organization would be appreciated, preferably one relevant to the best practice, with a caption. My e-mail address is frost@iso.org.

A selection will be published in ISO Management Systems, while others will be posted in a new section on the ISO Website.

ISO Insider

ISO/TC 207 meets in Egypt
Some 250 delegates from 47 countries participated in the 2009 plenary meeting of ISO/TC 207, Environmental management, held in Egypt where it was hosted by the Egyptian Organization for Standardization (EOS).e JTCG.

International

Spanish wine producer implements quality, environmental, food safety and information security management systems
The roots of the Torres family in the Penedès, Spain, can be traced back to the 17th century. Documents show that even in those days, the ancestors of the Torres family cultivated vineyrds and sold their wines on a small scale.
Experience with ISO management system standards began in the 1980s with the implementation of a quality management system. This article will explain the path followed over time with introduction of other management systems, the benefits to the company and the experiences of the people responsible for the systems. Finally, the president of the Torres company shares his perspective on management systems.

International market research group uses ISO standards to help culture of change
Leading market survey and research specialist, the Ipsos Group, has outgrown its French roots, acquiring or creating more than 60 companies worldwide. Today, it carries out more than 5 000 survey per year in more than 50 countries. In addition to participating in and implement the ISO 20252 standard on market, opinion and social research, Ipsos is a major user of ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO/IEC 27001 (information security management). The group attributes ISO standards as helping to ensure continual improvement and to create a culture of positive change.