The Non-Ferrous Founders' Society and TUV Rheinland have agreed to provide accredited management systems certification to NFFS member companies for ISO9001:2008 and other management system, safety, environmental, automotive, aerospace, and medical product standards.

This partnership will expedite the ISO9001 certification process, making certification more accessible to NFFS members. The partnership will initially include full accreditation for:

• ISO9001 — quality management;
• ISO14001 — environmental management;
• ISO18001 — occupational, health, and safety management;
• TS16949 — development of quality management systems providing for continual improvement of the supply chain;
• AS9100 — quality management system for the aerospace industry; and
• Pressure Equipment Directive certificates to the industry.

"Most customer industries, including the federal government, now require ISO9000 registration from their vendors," said NFFS Quality Systems Registrar managing director Jerrod Weaver. "We felt that our Society needed to offer more to its members, so by inviting TUV Rheinland to join us, not only are we giving them the chance to be certified by an internationally-recognized certification body, members will also have easy access to a whole host of other certifications and services."

Weaver also alluded to TUV Rheinland's reputation as one of the most respected and highly-trained auditors available. "Their knowledge of the foundry industry and focus on offering a cost- and time-efficient certification process were among the primary reasons why NFFS chose to partner with them."

TUV Rheinland has approximately 500 locations in 61 countries. Its international network of approved labs, testing facilities, and education centers train people across a wide range of industries. Additionally, they also offer inspection services and project management.

"TUV Rheinland will benefit by being able to establish more customer relationships with organizations that could take advantage of some of our other services," added operations manager for TUV Rheinland's Quality Registration Services Division Lisa Greenleaf. Those include environmental, field evaluations, and non-destructive testing.