Certification of Integrated Management Systems (IMS)
Integrated management systems - what is that?
An integrated management system (IMS) refers to a company organisation in which the common principles of the ISO management standards are taken into account and the requirements of several system standards are integrated on this basis. Based on a quality management system according to ISO 9001, the topics of energy ISO 50001, environment ISO 14001, occupational safety ISO 45001 or information security ISO/IEC 27001 are taken into account.
This integration not only simplifies the set-up and maintenance of the management system, but also saves effort, time and costs during certification. This applies to individual solutions, but also to specially developed combined systems such as EcoStep.
The development of an integrated management system gives companies the chance to overcome the disadvantages of parallel systems and to develop an individual, holistic system.
Integrated management systems are not created overnight, they are usually built up step by step. For this purpose, further aspects are added to an existing system (e.g. for quality on the basis of ISO 9001), for example for environment according to ISO 14001, then energy according to ISO 50001. On the other hand, systems that have historically grown in parallel can also be subsequently merged.
All current management system standards must follow the ISO/IEC 2012 directive and thus be structured according to the High-Level Structure (HLS). This means they have the same chapter structure with standard text passages to main and sub-chapters, common terms and definitions.
For a systemic integration, this means that the subsystems become "invisible" in a comprehensive management system and topics such as quality ISO 9001, environment ISO 14001, etc. dissolve into the individual responsibility of the respective processes. The company is organised according to a process-oriented approach.
There is no certification standard for Integrated Management Systems (IMS). However, standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 have many common features due to the HLS, e.g. structure, PDCA cycle, process orientation, risk management.
Each management system and the respective points of the standard must be checked and certified individually, regardless of whether the management systems exist in parallel or are integrated.
Advantages do not result from "a common standard", but from practice in auditing IMS.
Process-oriented auditing of several management systems at the same time results in a variety of synergy effects:
- Our auditors are qualified for several systems and can cover them in one audit.
- Interviews with management and staff can be conducted for several systems at the same time - this also results in cost and time savings. It also saves your staff the "frustration" of duplicate interviews.
- Audit dates can be combined and the audit duration on site is reduced by up to 20%.
All in all, there are considerable cost advantages compared to handling the individual procedures separately.
The greatest potentials for the certification of integrated management systems result from joint audit cycles, as staggered certification cycles in the recertifications result in a higher audit time and thus cost expenditure in each case.
We would be happy to provide you with an individual offer or answer any questions you may have. As a subsidiary of the AFNOR Group, we offer our services worldwide.
Please note: A reduction of the audit time only results if the management system is actually structured in an integrated way.
Which management systems can be certified together?
GUTcert offers a wide range of services in the field of certification and can therefore certify several management systems in your company together, gladly also in combination with other services such as sustainability reporting or specialised waste management companies (EfbV).
Individual solutions for the certification of your IMS
Almost all of our auditors are qualified to audit according to several verification standards at the same time. They always examine an Integrated Management System (IMS) from different angles and thus quickly identify a wide range of potential improvements that will help your company move forward.
Do you have questions about the certification of your IMS? Contact us!
How does the certification of an IMS work?
The process of certification according to ISO management standards such as
ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001 or
ISO 45001 is based on the specifications of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the specifications of the German Accreditation Body GmbH (DAkkS) for the certification of management systems DIN EN ISO/IEC 17021-1.
Details on the GUTcert certification procedure can be found in the overview of the GUTcert test procedures.
When combining with services such as EfbV or sustainability audits, corresponding regulations apply. We will be happy to advise you individually by telephone.
How can I switch from my certifier to GUTcert?
Are you tired of waiting forever for audit reports? You want competent contact persons when it comes to the certification of your company? Or do you simply value new impulses for your company?
Don't wait until the new certification cycle: a change is also possible without any problems during the year for the review audit. With our change service, we support you in a few steps in changing from your existing certifier to GUTcert.
