Question
One of my contract manufacturers who is ISO 9001: 2008 certified, submitted a Supplier Change Notice to relocate their factory to a new site/location. This will trigger many activities including re-qualification, etc. My question is, for their ISO 9001 certificate, do they simply refresh their company location / address in their ISO 9001 certificate with the Notified Body or they actually need to go through a full scale quality system audit by the NB?
Answer
Yes. They do need to have a full scale audit. The reason is very simple, a business is a system. When you change the environment, you alter that system. A full audit will be an adequate representation of the scope and magnitude of the change, and will indicate if this supplier is still a reliable manufacturer. Think about your most recent home move, the family is the same, your belongings are the same; however, everything is different at the same time.
For more on this topic, please visit ASQ’s website.