NON ISO Standards

We offer customized solutions for certification & consulting in India, UAE, South East Asia, Middle East, Europe, USA for CE Mark Consultancy & Certification, HACCP certification consultancy, GMP certification consultancy, FAMI-QS certification, BRC certification consultancy, SA 8000 certification consultancy, CMMi certification consultancy, Six Sigma certification consultancy, NAAC & NBA certification consultancy & PED AD 2000 certification consultancy to maximize functionality of processes and add value to client’s business. We offer consultancy & certification solutions to our client companies for the following system & product standards:-

Europe is a competitive but prize market, easier to access than ever before. Too many Indian exporters, especially small and medium sized enterprises, avoid it because the technical requirements for entry seem too complicated, too difficult, or too expensive. Indian manufacturers who have successfully accessed the European market know that the time to understand the European system is well worth the effort. The European Union alone is filled with affluent consumers, approximately 450 million of them. The European market is a large area that comprises more than 25 countries.

For the exporter, therefore, Europe as a whole has become a market whose technical requirements have been greatly simplified. Before the creation of the European Union, each country imposed its own technical requirements. Different standards and conformity assessment procedures forced exporters to target one or two countries only, or to forego exporting to Europe altogether. The unification of these European countries into a European Union, and the consequent harmonization of laws, standards, and conformity assessment procedures, changed all that.

Perhaps more importantly, ISO 9001 Certification is used extensively in Europe as a condition of acceptance of a manufacturer's product or as a means of recognition of the manufacturer's credibility. It is important to note that a manufacturer with a quality system in place (such as ISO 9001 QMS) should not automatically assume that his or her products are CE compliant because of the quality system alone. The appropriate New Approach Directive(s) will prescribe the correct and full route to conformity assessment.

The CE Mark, which is affixed to a product or its packaging, is considered proof that a product has met the requirements of the harmonized European standard, or directive; refers to Communauté Européen. Translated from the French, this literally means European Community. The European Commission, which administers the program, describes the CE Mark as a passport for goods to be sold freely within the internal European market. It is required by law if the product falls under one of the New Approach Directives. It is not a quality mark, nor is it a mark for consumers. Intended for Member State authorities, it is the visible sign to those authorities that your product is in compliance with the New Approach Directives. All manufacturers are required to affix the CE mark to products that are governed by New Approach Directives. CE marking on a product indicates to all authorities that the product is in compliance with the essential health and safety requirements of all directives that apply to the product.

The first step to compliance is determining which directives apply to the product. A product may be regulated by more than one directive. The CE mark does not disclose which directive(s) or standards apply to the product, nor will it indicate the method of conformity assessment used to bring the product into compliance. This information is provided by other accompanying documents, such as the Declaration of Conformity. The Manufacturer or the Authorized Representative affixes the CE marking to the product. It is not affixed by a Notified Body.

List of New Approach directives for CE Marking

Directive	Subject (short title of directive)
2006/95/EEC	Low Voltage Equipment (LVD)
87/404/EEC	Simple Pressure Vessels
88/378/EEC	Toys Safety
89/106/EEC	Construction Products
89/336/EEC	Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
89/686/EEC	Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
90/384/EEC	Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments
90/385/EEC	Medical Devices - Active Implantable
90/396/EEC	Appliances Burning Gaseous Fuels
92/42/EEC	New Hot-Water Boilers fired with Liquid or Gaseous Fuels (Efficiency Requirements)
93/15/EEC	Explosives for Civil Uses
93/42/EEC	Medical Devices - General (MDD)
94/9/EC	Equipment and Protective Systems in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres (ATEX)
94/25/EC	Recreational Craft
94/62/EC	Packaging and Packaging Waste
95/16/EC	Lifts
97/23/EC	Pressure Equipment (PED)
98/37/EC	Machinery Safety
98/79/EC	Medical Devices - In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD)
99/5/EC	Radio Equipment and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment
00/9/EC	Cableway Installations designed to Carry Persons
04/22/EC	Measuring Instruments

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a prevention-based food safety system. It provides a systematic method for analyzing food processes, determining the possible hazards and designating the critical control points necessary to prevent unsafe food from reaching the consumer.

HACCP is built around seven principles:
1. Analysis of food hazards: biological, chemical or physical
2 Identification of critical control points: raw materials, storage, processing, distribution and consumption
3. Establishment of critical control limits and preventive measures: for example, minimum cooking temperature and time.
4. Monitoring of these critical control points
5. Establishment of corrective actions
6. Keeping records
7. Systematic and regular auditing of the system in place by independent third party certification bodies.

Benefits of Implementing HACCP
In addition to meeting the legal and moral obligation to produce food that is safe to eat, HACCP offers a variety of other benefits for not only the consumer, but for the food industry and the government. The following are examples of benefits that may be gained by implementing a HACCP program.

HACCP can be applied throughout the food chain from the primary producer to final consumer.

HACCP reduces the need for finished product testing by identifying the hazards associated with the inputs into the process and the product and devising control measures which can be monitored in order to minimize or eliminate the hazards.

A HACCP program, when properly designed and implemented, will significantly reduce the chance of microbiological, chemical, and physical contaminants from reaching the customer.

HACCP can reduce regulatory involvement (and hence costs) by replacing on-line inspection with regular auditing.

HACCP principles can be applied to other aspects of food quality and regulatory requirements.

Since HACCP increases one’s ability to detect poor quality product during production, such product can be held before further value is added. Resources are saved and faulty product is not produced. Productivity and profitability is improved.

HACCP improves communications between supplier and customer. It encourages businesses to work together more closely and to help them understand each other’s capacity and requirements.

HACCP is capable of accommodating changes such as advances in raw materials, equipment and premise design, procedures, and technological developments.

Communication between the different segments of the food chain improves as HACCP provides a common language and a common focus on quality.

Improved customer confidence leads to increased market share.

W.H.O. defines Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) as "that part of quality assurance which ensures that products are consistently produced and controlled to the quality standards appropriate to their intended use and as required by the marketing authorization". GMP covers all aspects of the manufacturing process: defined manufacturing process; validated critical manufacturing steps; suitable premises, storage, transport; qualified and trained production and quality control personnel; adequate laboratory facilities; approved written procedures and instructions; records to show all steps of defined procedures taken; full traceability of a product through batch processing records and distribution records; and systems for recall and investigation of complaints.

The guiding principle of GMP is that quality is built into a product, and not just tested into a finished product. Therefore, the assurance is that the product not only meets the final specifications, but that it has been made by the same procedures under the same conditions each and every time it is made. There are many ways this is controlled - controlling the quality of the facility and its systems, controlling the quality of the starting materials, controlling the quality of production at all stages, controlling the quality of the testing of the product, controlling the identity of materials by adequate labeling and segregation, controlling the quality of materials and product by adequate storage, etc. All of these controls must follow prescribed, formal, approved procedures, written as protocols, SOPs, or Master Formulae, describing all the tasks carried out in an entire manufacturing and control process.

This European Code of Practice for Animal Feed Additive and Pre-mixture Operators ('Code') responds to the Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council laying down requirements for feed hygiene, (183/2005/EC), articles 20 to 22 of which encourage the development of guides to good practice for hygiene and the application of HACCP principles.

Implementation of the code aims to ensure the safety of feed additives and pre-mixtures; the operation of businesses in accordance with European feed hygiene requirements, and improved traceability. The code also applies to import from third countries of feed additives and pre-mixtures.

In order to align the Code with current animal feed legislation and various activities on national, industrial and/or association levels, it takes into account the principles of feed and food safety as well as HACCP principles.

This Standard is most applicable to manufacturers of food contact packaging for retailers’ labelled products and branded products as well. Manufacturers have an obligation to put appropriate systems and controls in place to ensure the suitability of their packaging for safe food use.

The BRC and IOP (Institute of Packaging) have developed this Standard to assist retailers and food manufacturers in the fulfilment of their legal obligations. This Standard will help in the protection of the consumer by providing a common basis for the audit of companies supplying packaging for food products to retailers.

The main sections of the Standard are:

• Scope
• Organisation
• Hazard and risk management system
• Technical management system
• Factory Standards
• Contamination Control
• Personnel
• Risk Category Determination (The latest edition includes a useful guide to help you assess which category your product falls into)
• The Evaluation Protocol

The SA 8000 certification is the Social Accountability System standard. It is applicable to companies of any size that wish to address the social and ethical aspects of their business. A Social Accountability System proves to customers that the company holds adequate provisions for the protection of wokers' rights. Further, it ensures ethical production of all goods manufactured by the company.

SA 8000 is the first auditable standard in this field. The initiative is based on the well-known ISO 9001/ISO 14001 certification structure, conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

SA 8000 KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Be senior management led.
• Be focused on continuous improvement.
• Be focused on prevention rather than reaction.
• Be supportive of workers’ rights and workers participation.
• Be compliant with local laws/codes.
• Be proactive in promoting ethical sourcing.
• Be systematic in addressing problems-CARs Process.
  

Benefits of SA 8000 to manufacturers and suppliers

• Marketing advantage – more demand and value for goods from socially.
• Responsible manufacturers/suppliers.
• Enhancement of company’s productivity.
• Compliance to the laws of the land.
• Improvement of relationship with the Govt., NGOs, trade unions.
• Better image and position in labour market.

Benefits of SA 8000 for the retailers

• Cost reduction in monitoring.
• Better corporate image.
• Increased value for the products.
• Trust building with the analysts and investors when evaluated against social performance.

It is a guide for implementing development practices that continuously improve software quality. This has been created by SEI (Software Engineering Institute) – a research and development centre operated by Carnegie Mellon University.

"CMMI" refers to the integration of diverse tool sets and appraisal methods related to CMM.
CMMi builds on and extends on the best practices of the:

• Capability Maturity Model for Software (SW-CMM);
• Systems Engineering Capability Model (SECM);
• Integrated Product Development Capability Maturity Model (IPD-CMM);
• Supplier Sourcing Capability Maturity Model (SS-CMM).

CMMi will help Software and Systems Engineering Companies to Study, Define, Implement, Improve and Appraise their internal Processes to result in improvement of the Development Cycle Time, Timely deliveries to Customers, Reduction in Schedule, Effort and Cost variances, reduced Defect levels, reduced Rework, improved Productivity and Profitability.

CMMI Maturity Levels
There are 5 maturity levels viz.

• Initial
• Managed
• Defined
• Quantitatively Managed
• Optimizing

To know more about CMMi and our deliverables through our unique process approach, click here or contact us for a Zero Cost discussion.

What is Six Sigma?
Six sigma is the structured application of tools and techniques applied on project basis to achieve sustained strategic results.

DMAIC six sigma approach
The six sigma approach for projects is DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve and control). These steps are the most common six sigma approach to project work. Some organizations omit the D in DMAIC because it is really management work. With the D dropped from DMAIC the Black Belt is charged with MAIC only in that six sigma approach. We believe define is too important be left out and sometimes management does not do an adequate job of defining a project. Our six sigma approach is the full DMAIC.

Define (DMAIC)
Define is the first step in our six sigma approach of DMAIC. DMAIC first asks leaders to define our core processes. It is important to define the selected project scope, expectations, resources and timelines. The definition step in the six sigma approach identifies specifically what is part of the project and what is not, and explains the scope of the project. Many times the first passes at process documentation are at a general level. Additional work is often required to adequately understand and correctly document the processes.

Measure (DMAIC)
Many think when they start a journey the most important thing to know is where they are going. While we agree knowing where you want to go is very important, we believe some of the first information you need before starting any journey is your current location. The six sigma approach asks the Black Belt project manager to quantify and benchmark the process using actual data. At a minimum consider the mean or average performance and some estimate of the dispersion or variation (maybe even calculate the standard deviation). Trends and cycles can also be very revealing. The two data points and extrapolate to infinity is not a six sigma approach. Process capabilities can be calculated once there is performance data.

Analyze (DMAIC)
Once the project is understood and the baseline performance documented and verified that there is real opportunity, it is time with the six sigma approach to do an analysis of the process. In this step, the six sigma approach applies statistical tools to validate root causes of problems. Any number of tools and tests can be used. The objective is to understand the process at a level sufficient to be able to formulate options for improvement. We should be able to compare the various options with each other to determine the most promising alternatives. As with many activities, balance must be achieved. Superficial analysis and understanding will lead to unproductive options being selected, forcing recycle through the process to make improvements. At the other extreme is the paralysis of analysis. Striking the appropriate balance is what makes the six sigma Black Belt highly valuable.

Improve (DMAIC)
During the improve step of the six sigma approach ideas and solutions are put to work. The six sigma Black Belt has discovered and validated all known root causes for the existing opportunity. The six sigma approach requires Black Belts to identify solutions. Few ideas or opportunities are so good that all are an instant success. As part of the six sigma approach there must be checks to assure that the desired results are being achieved. Some experiments and trials may be required in order to find the best solution. When making trials and experiments it is important that all project associates understand that these are trials and really are part of the six sigma approach.

Control (DMAIC)
Many people believe the best performance you can ever get from a process is at the very beginning. Over time there is expectancy that slowly things will get a little worse until finally it is time for another major effort towards improvement. Contrasted with this is the Kaizen approach that seeks to make everything incrementally better on a continuous basis. The sum of all these incremental improvements can be quite large. As part of the six sigma approach performance tracking mechanisms and measurements are in place to assure, at a minimum, that the gains made in the project are not lost over a period of time. As part of the control step we encourage sharing with others in the organization. With this the six sigma approach really starts to create phenomenal returns, ideas and projects in one part of the organization are translated in a very rapid fashion to implementation in another part of the organization.

Benefits of Six Sigma
There are numerous benefits of six sigma as a way to address issues and problems. Among the benefits of six sigma is the decrease in defects that are allowed to reach the customer. You can get some sense of the benefits of six sigma by reviewing some six sigma projects. Other benefits of six sigma include:

• Focus on customers.
• Improved customer loyalty.
• Reduced cycle time.
• Less waste.
• Data based decisions.
• Time management.
• Sustained gains and improvements.
• Systematic problem solving.
• Employee motivation.
• Data analysis before decision making.
• Faster to market.
• Team building.
• Improved customer relations.
• Assure strategic planning.
• Reductions of incidents.
• Measure value according to the customer.
• Better safety performance.
• Understanding of processes.
• Effective supply chain management.
• Design and redesign products/services.
• Knowledge of competition, competitors.
• Develop leadership skills.
• Breakdown barriers between departments and functions.
• Management training.
• Improve presentation skills.
• Integration of products, services and distribution.
• Use of standard operating procedures.
• Better decision making.
• Improving project management skills.
• Sustained improvements.
• Alignment with strategy vision, and values.
• Increased margins.
• Greater market share.
• Supervisor training.
• Lower costs to provide goods and services.
• Fewer customer complaints.

To know more about Six Sigma and our deliverables through our unique process approach, click here or contact us for a Zero Cost discussion.

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is an autonomous body established by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in the country. It is an outcome of the recommendations of the National Policy on Education (1986) that laid special emphasis on upholding the quality of higher education in India.

Any institution of higher education imparting instruction at degree level and above shall be eligible for assessment by NAAC, provided the institution works under the relevant provisions and discipline of some university established under the Indian law, at least as regards the programmes / courses to be assessed.

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) was established by an Act of the Parliament in 1987. As a part of its programmes and activities, the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) was set up by the AICTE in September 1994, in order to assess the qualitative competence of educational institutions from the Diploma level to the Post-Graduate level in Engineering and Technology, Management, Pharmacy, Architecture, Town Planning and related disciplines. The NBA is also concerned with assessing and assuring the quality of the various constituent elements of these educational institutions, such as academic ambience, infrastructure, financial resources, physical resources, human resources, supporting systems like library resources, computational resources, and avenues to mould and develop the students’ personality and learning characteristics.

The Pressure Equipment Directive is an EU New & Global Approach Product Directive.

The PED lays down requirements for the design and manufacture of pressure equipment and assemblies with a maximum allowable pressure greater than 0.5 bar gauge (1.5 bar absolute).

Vessels, piping, safety accessories and pressure accessories are included in the scope of the Directive but there are also many excluded products.

Products within the scope of the Directive must comply at the first "putting on the market" or "putting into service" in EEA.

The German pressure vessel association published a regulation conform to the Pressure Equipment Directive 97/23/EC called AD 2000.

In general the harmonized European Standard DIN EN 13445 can be used for unfired pressure vessels. The final release of this standard is implemented since May 2002 Designing according to this standard is an advantage if you have customers all over Europe.

What are the advantages of the AD 2000?

• Germany has the largest market in the EU.
• The German Regulations are accepted by most of the European neighbors.
• The German regulations are the "toughest" in Europe, an approval according the German Pressure Vessel.
• Code will be the base for a future EU-Approval.
• Evidence for the delivery ability of quality products Marketing effect with TUV-certificate.
• Listed on VdTUV-Merkblatt1253.
• Documentation of material test in accordance with the standard.

The norms listed in this GRP apply to the restaurants/ food outlets / food establishments barring street food vendors. This Standard introduces for the first time a grading as International Recognition of the intent of the Organization to meet the customer requirement and also compliance of statutory regulations of a process based management system (PBMS) approach and encourage the restaurant industry to continually aspire to excel.

Food business operators must ensure that the foods are safe and their products, premises and services comply with the norms laid down in this GRP. Food business operator must also take the required follow up action if their food, premises and services for any reason fail in any of the criteria given here.

This standard not only provides the framework for ensuring hygiene, quality, and customer satisfaction but also as a bench mark for grading of the restaurant. USAS will use this together with additional guidelines provided (separately) to certify the organization as meeting the criteria for Bronze, Silver or Gold Star Rating Certification.

Advantages of GRP 2010

• Consistency in Quality & Recipe Management.
• 2. Professional Image.
• 3. International Recognition for Good Practices.
• 4. Increased Customer Confidence.
• 5. Better Marketability & Brand Building.
• 6. Better Hygiene & Food Safety.
• 7. Better and Defined System to Manage

SCOPE OF APPLICATION
This GRP has been designed to cover the scope of food establishments that process cook and serve food and require the grading of their establishment for business purposes or any other industry requirements.

A Green Building is one which uses less water, optimizes energy efficiency, conserves natural resources, generates less waste and provides healthier spaces for its occupants as compared to a conventional building. Achieving Green Building certification is the best way to demonstrate that building project is truly “Green.” The Green building rating system is designed to promote design and construction practices that increase profitability while reducing the negative environmental impacts of buildings and improving occupant health and well-being. Green Building certification, which includes a rigorous third-party commissioning process, offers compelling proof to developer, End Users, Neighbors and the public at large that Building have achieved environmental goals. The green building rating system is developed and administered by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).