DQS
 | |
| Standards Organization | |
| Industry | Assessment, Certification |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Headquarters | Frankfurt am Main, Germany |
Area served | Global |
Key people |
Stefan Heinloth (Spokesman) Michael Drechsel Ganesh Rao |
| Products | Assessment and Certification of Management Systems and Processes |
| Revenue | 94,7 Mio. EUR (concern, 2013)[1] |
Number of employees | 588 (concern, annual average 2013)[1] |
| Website | |
DQS Holding GmbH based in Frankfurt am Main is the holding company of the worldwide DQS Group. The group provides assessments and certifications of management systems and processes of any type.
History
DQS was founded in 1985 in Frankfurt am Main and was the first German certification body.[2][3] The aim of the founding partners, DGQ (German Society for Quality) and DIN (German Institute for Standardization), was mainly to promote the German economy. The foundation overlapped with the publication of the first drafts of the ISO 9000 series of standards, which also include the most important quality standard worldwide today: ISO 9001.
In 1986 DQS became the first certification body in Germany to issue a certificate according to ISO 9001.[4]
After the merger of DQS with the Management Systems Solutions (MSS) division of the American product certification body Underwriters Laboratories Inc. in March 2008, DQS-UL Group is currently one of the world's largest system certification bodies. Since June 2015 the company changed its name to DQS Group.
Corporate Organization
DQS Holding GmbH has more than 80 offices in over 60 countries, which form a network for the realization of international projects. DQS Group currently has about 20,000 certified customers across almost all industries with approximately 55,000 certified locations in over 130 countries.
The concern employs 588 people and commands 2,479 auditors in 2013 (annual average).[1] Among the largest companies within the group are DQS Inc. (USA), DQS do Brasil Ltd., DQS Japan Inc., DQS Medizinprodukte GmbH (Medical Devices) and DQS GmbH (both Germany).
DQS GmbH in Germany
Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main and with local offices in Berlin, Hamburg, and Stuttgart, DQS GmbH offers the entire service spectrum of the group in Germany. With over 200 employees and about 800 auditors, DQS GmbH is the largest subsidiary of DQS Holding GmbH. Managing Director is Götz Blechschmidt.
Service spectrum
The international offices of DQS Group focus their portfolio of assessment services on their respective market situation and customer requirements. The group’s service spectrum includes cross-industry assessments to customer or industry-specific requirements and certifications to more than 100 nationally and internationally recognized standards and specifications. Among the most important scopes and standards are:
- ISO 9001 (Quality)
- BS OHSAS 18001 (Occupational safety and health)
- ISO 50001 (Energy Management)
- IRIS (International Railway Industry Standard) (Railway Industry)
- EN 9100ff (Aerospace)
- International Featured Standard (IFS)
In addition, the group also offers assessments in the areas of Risk Management Systems, Sustainability, Education, Data Privacy, Business Excellence, Health and Social Services, and Integrated Management Systems.
Approach
The group’s approach is unique in that assessment services are mainly provided by external auditors on a fee basis. The auditors generally work in the industry sector which they assess. This combination of certification and industry knowledge with practical and scientific experience is meant to ensure that assessments are performed using the most up-to-date, state of the art know-how from the respective industry sector.
Network
DQS is a charter and full member of the international certification network IQNet Association which was founded in 1990. The main objective of the currently approx. 40-member global network is the mutual recognition of certificates issued by the member companies. The current Managing Director of DQS GmbH, Michael Drechsel, is currently President of the network.
External links
References
- 1 2 3 DQS Holding GmbH: Konzernabschluss zum 31. Dezember 2013. Bundesanzeiger, May 12, 2015. (german)
- ↑ Wolfgang Hansen: Zertifizierung und Akkreditierung von Produkten und Leistungen der Wirtschaft, Carl Hanser Verlag München Wien, 1993, p. 155, ISBN 3-446-17108-8.
- ↑ Walter Masing: Handbuch der Qualitätssicherung, Carl Hanser Verlag, 2nd ed., 1988, p. 972, ISBN 3-446-15172-9.
- ↑ Fiorenzo Franceschini, Maurizio Galetto, and Giovanni Gianni: A new forecasting model for the diffusion of ISO 9000 standard certifications in European countries, International Journal of Quality & Riliability Management, 21 (2004) p. 32–50.