what does ISO 9000 mean to a boat buyer, if anything?
Does an ISO 9000-registered builder manufacture a better boat than a builder that doesn’t have ISO registration? To find out, I dug deeper into the subject, and here is what I learned. ISO 9000 standards are not product-specific but instead apply to the processes which create the product. Areas that fall under the auspices of ISO 9000 include management responsibility, quality control, contract review, design control, purchasing, inspection and test status, corrective/preventative action, handling, storage, packaging, preservation, delivery, and training. Boatbuilders seeking ISO 9000 registration must create documentation of their entire production process, including what goes into the product, how it is made, and how processes are controlled. Then the builder must demonstrate compliance with this documentation during production. In effect, the documentation becomes an internal standard. The goals, say proponents of ISO 9000, are product consistency and quality control, which should r
