Certification

Like every good business, you guarantee the quality you deliver. After all, your products, services, personnel and processes must comply with all the laws and regulations concerning safety, efficiency, control and sustainability. These values all come naturally to you. But convincing potential customers or clients of your good intentions matters, too. Our certification services help you to do this.

Make quality visible

Certification can be a useful tool to add credibility, by demonstrating that your product, service, (management) system or employees meet the expectations of your customers. In some cases, certification can even be required by law or contract. Government institutions recognise Kiwa certificates and reports as reliable proof that you comply with European laws and regulations. We can help you make your company's quality values visible to the world and support you in making a positive difference in your (international) market.

Frequently Asked Questions about Certification

What is certification?

Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object (a product), process, person or organisation. In most cases, this confirmation is provided by some form of external review, assessment, or audit. So, an accredited or authorised person or agency assesses and verifies (and attests in writing by issuing a certificate) the attributes, characteristics, quality, qualification, or status of something or someone. The assessment and verification are in accordance with established requirements or standards.

Why should I certify?

A certificate creates trust. Trust in your products, services, (management) processes and employees. Your certificate enables you to demonstrate that your organisation works efficiently and safely, that you manage the work and work processes and that you strive to be sustainable. It allows you to reduce risks, improve the quality of your organisation and have more satisfied clients. An independent third party like Kiwa ensures it stays that way.

Apart from creating trust, here are additional reasons for certification.

Certification means certainty

A certificate means certainty for clients on a global scale as they can be sure that your management system, process or product meets widely supported (international) objective requirements and the conditions they impose. When it comes to certification of persons and personal skills, a certificate offers certainty about the knowledge, competence and skills that someone needs to perform certain activities. The requirements attached to the certificate have been assessed by an independent third party like Kiwa.

Certification improves efficiency

Certification can improve efficiency: your operations are more comprehensive, efficient and can be better controlled. Certification identifies the processes within your company and shows which elements of your business operations can be improved. It ensures that improving the quality of your services and products is a continuous and systematic process in your organisation. Risks (mistakes, delays, unnecessary costs) can be identified and reduced as well. Your processes are constantly becoming more efficient, safer and more transparent, so the overall quality of what you do will improve. Thus, certification can offer rapid return on investment.

Certification fosters engagement

Certification will help you foster engagement. When all elements of your work processes have been identified, your employees work more efficiently and make fewer mistakes. They will be increasingly engaged and goal-oriented. While doing so, they'll have more pleasure in their work. And sustainable management will become second nature.

Certification ensures confidence

A certificate helps to ensure confidence with competent authorities as you avoid discussions about whether or not you comply with laws and rules. The number of external assessments will be reduced to a minimum. A certificate will also make it easier for you to be granted all kinds of licenses.

Certification improves customer satisfaction

While you improve the quality and efficiency of all you do, thanks to the certification requirements and continuous monitoring, your customers will get better service and better products. That way, you'll improve customer satisfaction in both the short and the long run.

Certification is great for marketing

A certificate will give your product a good name in the (international) market. Furthermore, it is an excellent marketing tool and offers plenty of marketing opportunities. You will have an additional selling point: not you, but a renowned, independent inspection institute like Kiwa certifies that you provide quality. Make use of that fact and show off your certificate!

What can Kiwa certify for me?

Kiwa is a global authority in a wide variety of markets, from construction and energy to water and healthcare. Our experts know their way around the minefield of European and global regulations, quality norms and safety criteria. This knowledge enables them to open doors for you that would have otherwise remained closed. We may make the difference in your efforts to access markets. And we can certify quite a lot, as you will see below.

Certifying a product or an aspect of it

Product certification allows you to demonstrate that you perform internal quality monitoring and manage every detail of the production of a product, from checking the supplied raw materials to the production process and storing the final product. When certifying your product, we in fact monitor your internal quality control system. That way, your product will always meet requirements. By obtaining product certification, you will increase your market chances, as you will be able to offer (potential) buyers objective proof that your products and the production process meet current quality and safety requirements.

Perhaps you do not want your entire product to be certified, but only a specific aspect of it or a specific characteristic. We can provide an aspect certificate. For instance, to declare that your product can safely be connected to a drinking water installation.

Certifying a building design

Design certification or more commonly, design attestation is a one-off assessment of a building design. An attestation is not an inspection certificate of a product's specifications, although it can be linked to a system or product certification. An attestation only provides proof that a building element meets performance requirements as laid down in a country's Buildings Decree or equivalent.

Certifying personal skills

People are the most important factor in achieving your business objectives. Certification of persons or, rather, of personal skills complements the quality assurance of organisations and products. Contrary to educational programmes, which mostly focus on gaining certain knowledge, we focus on establishing someone's skills and then monitor those skills. After the validity period of a certificate has expired, the person concerned must once again demonstrate that he or she still possesses the required skills - which may change along with changes in the field of expertise.

Certifying a process

If you provide a service or if you manufacture, manage or process something that can't be tested against objectively measurable criteria, Kiwa can certify the work process. This also applies to processes in varying locations and processes where workmanship plays a role. Constant monitoring of the quality of all possible activities within your organisation will improve employee efficiency and accuracy and make company risks easier to control. Processes like these include installing a pipe system, producing foundation poles and laying impervious paving at petrol stations. As a process certificate will also add strength to your market position, you enjoy a persuasive advantage in the allocation of projects.

Certifying (management) systems

System certification focuses on the management system you use in your company or institution. It clarifies responsibilities, authorisations and procedures within your organisation. Most shortcomings in an organisation can be traced back to unclear communication and insufficient clarity about responsibilities, tasks, competencies and procedures. A quality management system according to an international ISO standard increases people's awareness of what they do, how, when and why they do it. Client opinions emerge through customer satisfaction surveys. Other aspects of business operation are also more manageable when a well-functioning management system is in place. The advantages are evident: more efficient work processes, happier employees, better risk control, improved customer satisfaction and greater profits.

CE marking

CE marking is not a certification. Still, it is important for bringing your products to the European market. CE stands for Conformité Européenne (European Conformity). As a manufacturer, it is your responsibility to perform a conformity assessment, prepare a technical file, draw up the conformity declaration and apply the CE marking to your product. Applying CE marking means you declare that your product has been tested and meets all of the European directives on safety, health and the environment. If required by these directives, you must have all of your products tested by a competent inspection body known as a Notified Body (NoBo). The EU has designated Kiwa as a NoBo, which means Kiwa is entitled to issue CE marking. Product groups that require CE marking include machines, gas devices, pressure equipment, personal protective equipment, medical devices, building products, electrical equipment, electronic equipment, recreational craft and toys.

See Kiwa's notifications on the NANDO website (New Approach Notified and Designated Organisations)

What is first, second and third-party certification?

First-party certification means that the individual or organisation providing a product or service offers assurance that it meets certain claims. CE marking is an example of first-party certification. A CE mark is often needed to bring a product to the European market. By marking a product, a producer assures it has been tested and meets basic criteria regarding safety, health and the environment.

In second-party certification, an association to which the individual or organisation belongs provides the assurance. An association can, for example, create a quality mark for a certain market segment. Individuals or organisations can obtain it by meeting the requirements set. Thus, such a mark may improve quality level.

Kiwa provides third-party certification. This kind of certification involves a fully independent assessment declaring that specified requirements pertaining to a product, person, process or management system have been met. The requirements have been independently drawn up by Boards of Experts representing a certain market segment or an association. The advantage of third-party certification is that you nor your association, but an independent third party assures you and your customers that objective requirements have been met.

What is accreditation?

On top of certification, there is accreditation. Organisations like Kiwa that certify third parties are themselves formally accredited. Accreditation is provided by a so-called accreditation body, which is put in place by the government of a certain country. The accreditation process ensures that certification practices are acceptable, which means a certifier is competent to test and certify third parties, behaves ethically and employs suitable quality assurance. Kiwa has been accredited by various accreditation bodies for a wide variety of certification processes in many countries.

What is a Notified Body?

Kiwa is also a Notified Body, or NoBo. In the European Union, a NoBo is a third-party entity that has been accredited by a Member State to assess whether a product to be placed on the market meets certain standards. Conformity assessment can include inspection and examination of a product, its design, and the manufacturing environment and processes associated with it.

See our Accreditations and notifications

What is ISO certification?

An ISO certification is an official recognition that an organization complies with specific international standards set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). These standards impose requirements in various areas such as quality, environment, occupational health and safety, and information security. Some common ISO standards include ISO 9001 for quality management systems, ISO 14001 for environmental management systems, ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety management systems, and ISO 27001 for information security.

To obtain an ISO certificate, an organization must undergo an audit by an independent, external certification body, such as Kiwa. These bodies assess during audits whether the organization actually meets all the requirements specified in the relevant ISO standard. When an organization successfully passes the audit, it is awarded an official ISO certificate as evidence of conformity with the specified standards.

Create trust with ISO certification

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More than just certification

Kiwa's services extend beyond simply issuing certificates. At your request, Kiwa - in co-operation with independent experts - can also carry out inspections and research in the fields of risk management, environmental legislation, the working environment and product/service safety. Our combined knowledge of laws and regulations and of technology will ensure you of an impartial and thoroughly grounded evaluation that will exceed both your expectations and the required norm. You can be sure that with Kiwa's input, your organisation will be equipped for the future.

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