ISO 22163 Certification of International railway industries standard

Courtesy: ISO 22163 Certification of International railway industries standard

International Railway Industry Standard (IRIS) certification is a company level certification based on the ISO 9001 standard but includes specific information on topics related to the rail industry such as project management, change management and design. This standard was developed in part by manufacturers and suppliers in the rail industry. The IRIS initiative is led by the Association of European Railway Industries (UNIFE).

IRIS is an industry-specific certification for manufacturers of parts, components and rail-mounted vehicles as well as operators.

Certificates are issued by third party certifying bodies. Companies wishing to become certified will undergo an initial certification audit. Generally, upon successful completion of this audit, the company will receive a certificate that is good for three years, during which time surveillance audits will be conducted.

IRIS Certification aims to secure higher quality in the rail sector through developing and implementing a global system for the evaluation of companies supplying to the railway industry. Uniform language, assessment guidelines and mutual acceptance of audits create a high level of transparency and trust towards IRIS Certification throughout the supply chain enhancing competition and increasing the quality of rail products.

IRIS Certification is modelled on similar quality standards already in place in the aerospace, and automotive industries and it aims at the avoidance of multiple business management system auditing and therefore increases cost efficiency.

IRIS Certification has set the standard for improving the quality in the rail sector, increasing efficiency and decreasing costs. IRIS Certification is a tool to meet the challenges rail sector companies are facing due to the increase in competitive pressure, especially in the European Union market. It helps the rail industry to follow the best practices developed by the biggest rail companies from all around the world enhancing the competitiveness and attractiveness of companies supplying for the rail sector.

The successful implementation of the IRIS Certification creates a win-win situation for all stakeholders in the rail sector, be they equipment manufacturers, system integrators, operators or business partners. More broadly, the IRIS Certification scheme helps to develop the attractiveness of rail moving our daily mobility towards more sustainable modes of transportation.