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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Standards & Certifications

WHY IS ISO IMPORTANT TO YOUR BUSINESS?

For all security seal users, the most important element is to ensure seals are produced according to the highest quality standards and that the seal provides highest security features. Have you ever found yourself wondering about the supply chain of the seal you are currently using?

Common questions surrounding security seals:

  • Has the seal been produced free of defects?
  • Will the seal fail upon application?
  • Has the security of the seal been compromised during transit from the factory to you?
  • How do I ensure that my seal information and the application is not compromised?
  • How do I select manufacturers or brands that can be trusted?

These questions can be answered by looking at ISO and understanding how it affects your business.

ISO stands for International Organization of Standardization. It is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. The role of ISO is to ensure that a level of standard is maintained throughout certified members, and that processes and procedures are regulated, controlled and audited to ensure that the organization is maintaining the standard.

Most manufacturers claim to be ISO17712:2013 compliant but for this to be valid they MUST have the mandatory ISO9001:2008. Therefore you need to check your supplier has ISO9001:2008, because without this accreditation, their claim of ISO17712:2013 compliance is FALSE.

Tamper Evident Standards & Certifications

 

The ISO standard that Mega Fortris adheres to is divided into 3 standards, with one of the standards having a ‘subsection’.

STANDARD 1 - ISO9001:2008

ISO9001:2008 is known as the Quality Management System (QMS). QMS covers each and every process and procedure with regards to the entire operations in Mega Fortris. It covers procedures in Accounts, Human Resources, Marketing, Production, Quality Control, Order Processing, Purchasing, Tooling etc. Mega Fortris is accredited for ISO9001:2008.

STANDARD 2 - ISO14001:2004

ISO14001:2004 is known as the Environment Management System (EMS). Simply put, this is to ensure that the operations of Mega Fortris are not detrimental to the environment. Standard reports include measuring water and air quality around the perimeter of the factory to ensure that there is no toxic discharge into the environment. Another big part of ISO14001:2004 is Scheduled Waste Management, which monitors how Mega Fortris disposes of Scheduled Wastes such as Hydraulic Oil, Paint etc. Mega Fortris is accredited for ISO14001:2004.

STANDARD 3 - ISO17712:2013

ISO17712:2013 is unique to the security seal industry. There are two parts to the ISO17712:2013 which is explained below:

Part 1 - Manufacturer Compliance

Basically manufacturers of High Security Seals are required to ensure that the factory is secure, records of serial numbers being kept correctly etc. For a factory to attain ISO17712:2013 certified status, they need to be ISO9001:2008 certified. Failing which, the manufacturer will not be issued with ISO17712:2013 certification. Mega Fortris is certified by SGS.

Part 2 - High Security Seals Compliance

Seals are divided into 3 categories: High Security Seal; Security Seal and Indicative Seal. There are different criteria to fulfil when categorizing a seal:

  • tensile strength
  • shear strength
  • bending strength
  • impact strength

To attain High Security Seal rating, the seal needs to pass these tests:

  • Test 1 - Tensile Strength of over 1000kgs.
  • Test 2 - Bending Strength where the seal must withstand a bend of more than 50 Nm strength.
  • Test 3 - Repeated Impacts of 25 times with increasing strength at room temperature (up to a maximum of 40 joules).
  • Test 4 - Repeated Impacts of 25 times with increasing strength at -23 degrees temperature (up to a maximum of 40 joules).
  • Test 5 - Shear Test where a strength of above 300kgs is needed to cut the seal.

Note: These tests are performed only by Dayton Brown, USA.

ISO17712:2013 introduced a new requirement which is tamper testing. This is known as Clause 6. Clause 6 states that the seal must pass a tamper test and must show signs of tamper evidence. Clause 6 is a very controversial requirement as it is the manufacturers themselves who define the tamper procedure. The auditors only need to see the end result as specified by the manufacturer in order to pass this test.

Finally, how does ISO affect Mega Fortris? Firstly, it separates us from backyard companies who manufacture seals by the millions but do not have accreditation. Hence, we can say that Mega Fortris monitors our quality according to QMS and our operations do not affect the environment.

By achieving ISO17712:2013 & ISO9001:2008 status, our seals are certified C-TPAT and GUARANTEED to the highest security level.

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