ISO/IEC 17065 standard is a Product Certification Bodies Accreditation Standard. This standard is for the organizations that certify the quality of products, as the name clearly states. The product could be a service, a process, or something tangible. Organizations receive product certifications or licenses from certifying bodies so they can market their products. This certification provides consumers with the assurance that the product or service they are purchasing complies with international standards. Also, ISO/IEC 17065 Product Certification Bodies Accreditation program can be applied to almost all businesses. According to the specifications established in ISO/IEC 17065, certification bodies for goods, processes, and services are accredited. ISO 17065 standard allows the bodies to perform their activities ensuring confidence in their competence, consistent operation, and impartiality during the certification of products, processes, and services that will reach the final consumers. Here are some of the product accreditation departments according to the ISO 17065 standard:
- Product (Includes Process and Service) Certification: The main goal of product certification is to assure all interested parties that a product complies with the standards. The value of certification is the level of assurance and trust created by a third party's competent and unbiased proof of compliance with the standards.
- Product: It is also the result of a procedure. Whether the product is subsequently referred to as a service, software, hardware, or processed material for a final product, many products contain components that fall under many general product categories.
- Process: a group of connected or cooperating actions that convert inputs into outputs.
- Service: a result of at least one intangible activity that must be conducted at the point where the provider and the customer contact.
- Product Certification: This is the procedure for confirming that a certain product has passed all examinations and other conformity assessment tasks and satisfies the requirements outlined in agreements, rules, or specifications (Certification Schemes). To verify that a product from a certain supplier complies with the requirements of a given certification system, a third-party certifying authority issues a certificate. Products that have been certified may display a certification mark to show their quality, which can directly attest to the product's compliance with the requirements.
Adopting the ISO 17065 Accreditation in the organization can boost consumer confidence in the certified products, increasing market share and enabling consumers to quickly decide in favor of quality items by being able to recognize products that adhere to quality standards. Additionally, the ability to quickly identify products that adhere to standards because they bear the Quality Mark protects unfair competition from subpar products on the market. Additionally, the product is presented in a more favorable light in both domestic and international markets, leading to mutual recognition agreements under which nations recognize one another's products, facilitating entry into regional and international markets, as well as making it simpler to accept and market new products while preserving the manufacturer's reputation and image. The ISO 17065 auditor training is necessary since the Certification Scheme offers a technical audit of product quality and process control methods. As a result, the Manufacturer can acquire technical advice and information for much less money than it would otherwise cost.