ISO 13485
Reach international regulatory compliance for medical devices with this standard.
ISO 13485 – Medical Devices
At each stage of your product’s life, regulatory requirements are scrutinised – be it in the manufacture, delivery, or service stages. Laboratories and other organisations in your industry are expected to exemplify a sound quality management system (QMS) to demonstrate best practices.
Are you keen to ensure the devices in your medical laboratory are safe, effective, and delivered to a high standard? Do you want to be brought up to speed with national and global requirements for your industry? As a medical device manufacturer, ISO 13485 is the most accepted global standard of its kind. If your business wants to put competency at the forefront of your operations, IMSM can talk you through how this certification will improve and validate the way you work.
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What is ISO 13485?
Certification ensures that medical devices used in healthcare settings are designed, produced, installed, and serviced to the highest standards. ISO 13485 originates from the need to meet client obligations and the regulatory and legal specifications for business owners involved in the manufacture of medical devices manufacturers.
Adopting the ISO 13485 standard into the heart of your practices means you will build a clear, practical foundation to address these specifications by taking control of your supply chain with a robust framework that will reduce costs. Your business will also demonstrate a commitment to safety, quality, and competence for medical device manufacturing, recognised worldwide.
Throughout the ISO 13485 certification process you will be guided by a dedicated ISO consultant. They will start by assessing your business, then help you to use the results to improve your medical device manufacturing quality management system. We work with the senior management team to ensure the ISO 13485 standard framework is embedded throughout your organisation before you are assessed by a third-party auditor who awards the certification.
What are the benefits of ISO 13485?
- Taking control of your supply chain
Why get ISO 13485 certification? A good tell of whether the organisations in your supply chain are quality focused is to see if they are ISO 13485 certified. You are an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of medical devices, so it is your responsibility to ensure that every producer within your supply chain is compliant with regulation. Are they all working to identify risks and prevent defects in their own processes? Verification can be a tedious and unrewarding task which is why you should get ISO 13485 certification – a mark of quality and competence. - Ensuring control processes are robust in every step of your medical product’s life
From development, to manufacture, to distribution, every stage of your product’s journey needs to be carefully controlled so that it meets regulation and avoids inadequacy at any step. ISO 13485 certification makes the process less overwhelming by providing you with a solid, easy-to-manage framework to help you manage your control processes. - Reducing costs through a more efficient QMS
The ISO 13485 standard enforces best practices in a medical product’s lifecycle. It also addresses the efficiency of these practices. With a methodical approach to medical device manufacturing, you will have a logical plan for your workforce, saving time and reducing waste. - Becoming up-to-speed with the needs of regulatory authorities in your area
Who needs ISO 13485 certification? In a time when public health is at the forefront of everyone’s mind, authorities are more stringent than ever when it comes to regulating the medical device manufacturing industry. The ISO 13485 standard provides medical device manufacturers with a useful framework that has already taken into account that there will be legal requirements associated with the medical device, so it makes these easy to control and manage. - Qualified with an internationally-recognised certification
What does it mean to be ISO 13485 certified? It’s the leading qualification of its kind, meaning it is recognised across the world as a mark of quality and competence. Certification gives you confidence to emerge onto the global market and open yourself up to new business opportunities.
Steps to getting ISO 13485 certification
The process of getting ISO 13485 certified with IMSM is a trouble-free step-by-step approach.
- Initial consultation
We help you outline your goals, focusing on what your business wants to achieve and how it defines success, particularly in relation to your clients’ requirements. Together, you and our ISO consultant will agree on reasonable outcomes and delivery dates. - Producing your organisation’s ISO 13485 documentation
Next, the IMSM consultant will assess your existing procedures and help you document the new systems that will help deliver success – both existing and how you will improve these. This documentation sets out how your business should operate going forward so that it can deliver ISO 13485. - Training you to adopt the ISO 13485 framework
While the documentation is important moving forward, it is even more important that it is put to practical use. We work with the senior management team to ensure that the framework is embedded throughout your organisation. We can also develop and deliver tailored training for your staff to ensure the understanding and implementation of ISO 13485 is robust and to enable you to demonstrate your competence. This will create consistency across your organisation, transforming your business from day one so it is competent and risk conscious. - Submission to a third-party external auditor
Before you can be awarded the ISO 13485 certification, your organisation applies to the third-party certifying body that you have selected to conduct your audit. This audit is an objective view on whether your business is conforming to ISO 13485. As we will have provided excellent support and guidance to your business every step of the way, you can be assured that the outcome will be successful. - ISO 13485 awarded
Once confirmed that you are ISO 13485 compliant, your organisation will be presented with your certificate. This international certification will be recognised by current, potential, and future clients as a mark of excellence in medical device manufacturing. Take a look at our case studies to find out how IMSM has helped implement medical device manufacturing QMS from real-life examples or request a call back for more information about how we can help you.
Read how to get ISO 13485 certification.
Why IMSM?
Simple: we make it simple. We have been helping businesses achieve ISO certification since 1995 and have over 150 expert consultants operating around the world. With 15,000+ clients that have trusted us to implement ISOs, we are the experts and will do the heavy lifting, saving your company precious time. With a transparent fixed fee and flexible approach, we work with your business to make the process of gaining ISO 13485 certification as straightforward and beneficial as possible.
We strive to do this with our:
• World-class gap analysis
• Experienced and diverse ISO consultants
• Flexible terms and contract
• Fixed fee
• Full implementation
How can ISO specialists help your business?
Due to the technical nature of ISO 13485 certification, getting started can leave you feeling dismayed, which is why lots of businesses choose to use the expertise of an ISO consultant to support and guide you through to certification. Our experienced consultants take the lead in assessing your business, helping you use the results to improve your medical device manufacturing QMS. In addition, IMSM can provide you with internal auditor training to demonstrate your competence.
Find out more about ISO 13485 consultancy for certification.
FAQs
- Is ISO 13485 certification mandatory?
ISO 13485 certification is not itself mandatory; however, by achieving ISO 13485 certification, your practices will be brought up to date with international standards and therefore compliant with local regulation.
Read about medical devices compliance for South Africa. - Who needs ISO 13485 certification?
Medical device manufacturers will benefit from ISO 13485 certification. The ISO 13485 standard is internationally recognised, evidencing your compliance with regulatory and legal requirements to meet your clients’ needs. In addition, ISO 13485 certification showcases your commitment to quality and efficiency.
Download this guide to understand the benefits of ISO certification to your business. - How to get ISO 13485 certification?
Medical device manufacturers often find that the assistance of expert consultants helps them to easily implement ISO 13485 into their core processes. With IMSM, our consultants work directly with you to ensure your QMS works for your organisation. We help you design your control requirements in line with the standard, then submit you to a recognised, third-party certification body who will audit your business and get you ISO 13485 certified.
Find out more about getting certified here. - How long does it take to get ISO 13485 certification?
The length of time taken to get ISO 13485 certified depends on the size and complexity of your company. It is estimated that it can take 4-6 months for companies with less than 50 employees. For larger companies, it can take 6-12 months as complex manufacturing processes like sterilisation can prolong the process. - Is ISO 13485 required for CE mark?
It is not mandatory to be ISO 13485 certified, but to be awarded the CE marking, you will need to provide evidence through QMS as required by the MDR. If you’re not ISO 13485 certified, you will need to convince the governing body that your QMS is equally as good or better than one that has been built using the ISO 13485 framework.
If you want to know more about the ISO 13485 standard and the certification process, download our guide.
ISO 13485 Blogs
Take a look at our most recent blogs relating to ISO 13485
What is ISO 13485?
Medical devices are considered a fundamental and essential component in diagnosing and treating medical conditions within health systems.
How to get ISO 13485 certification
If you’re a medical device manufacturer, it’s likely that ISO 13485 will be on your radar. This internationally-recognised standard ensures such vital technology as yours is safe, effective and delivered to a high quality.
Contact Us
For a free Quotation or Remote presentation by an ISO Specialist, contact us today!
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