IRIS

International Rail Industry Standard

Following the example of the automotive industry, the Professional Association for the Railway Supply Industry UNIFE has introduced its certification standard of quality management system.

The IRIS standard is created by the IRIS Committee operating under UNIFE Association. The standard is based on ISO 9001 and extends it by adding railway-specific requirements. The standard is further based on standards of environmental management ISO 14001 and safety management OHSAS.

Certification according to the IRIS standard is intended for manufacturers involved in a subcontracting chain including manufacturers of basic semi finished products as well as manufacturers of complete vehicles.

The objective of the IRIS standard is to establish a uniform certification process and set uniform requirements. The certification process is monitored through the IRIS portal where all audit results are displayed. A manufacturer thus has the opportunity to present himself to all his potential customers. The uniform certification process should ensure the limitation of customer audits, speed up tender procedures, and decrease costs for subcontractors.

Certification under the IRIS standard is recommended today to the largest companies on the market and from 2009 it will be required by these companies.