TL 9000: Quality Management
What is TL 9000?
TL 9000 defines the quality management system (QMS) requirements for design, development, production and service provision for the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) industry.The TL 9000 standard was developed by and for the ICT industry in 1999 to drive consistency in the quality of products and services down the supply chain through the implementation of a common body of QMS requirements (built on top of ISO 9001) and defined performance-based measurements.
The expected benefits of TL 9000 certification include improved organizational performance, overall cost reduction, increased competitiveness, enhanced customer-organization-supplier relationships, and continual improvement of products and services.
Helps you with
- Aligning with ICT industry peers
- Enhancing organizational planning and management
- Improving overall process performance and control
- Strengthening organization’s customer and supplier relationships
- Reducing the number of external audits and site visits
- Free benchmarking!
Benefits of Gaining Certification
Win more business
Procurement specifications often require certification as a condition to supply, so certification and verification opens doors.
Customer satisfaction
Deliver products that consistently meet customer requirements and a service that is dependable and can be relied on.
Improved stakeholder relationships
Improve the perception of your organization with staff, customers and suppliers.
Legal compliance
Understand how statutory and regulatory requirements impact your organisation and its customers.
Proven business credentials
Independent verification against a globally recognised industry standard speaks volumes.
Reduced operating costs
Continual improvement of processes and resulting operational efficiencies mean money saved.
Improved risk management
Greater consistency and traceability of products and services means problems are easier to avoid and rectify.
More about TL 9000 certification
The TL 9000 QMS standard is a product of the Business Performance community of TIA (the Telecommunications Industry Association). It has two parts, defined in two handbooks: the Requirements Handbook (RHB) and the Measurements Handbook (MHB).
The RHB defines TL 9000 requirements which are additional to those contained in ISO 9001. (In the current TL 9000:2016 (R6) revision, there are 84 additional requirements or “adders”.) The MHB defines customer-relevant, performance-based measurements which all TL-certified organizations must calculate and report monthly.
While many of the adders and measurements are applicable to any organization within the ICT supply chain, others are specific to producers of hardware or software products, or to providers of any of a range of services (such as procurement, installation, call center support or contract manufacturing).
Organizations registering for TL 9000 select one or more of these three options—hardware, software, and/or service—and identify specific product and service categories which match their offerings. These selections then define which of TL 9000’s requirements must be addressed by the QMS, and which measurements must be submitted.
TL 9000:2016 (R6)
TL 9000:2016 (R6), the current revision of the standard, was published in July 2016. It became effective on September 15, 2016, and supersedes the previous release, RHB R5.5, as of September 15, 2018.
RHB R6.0 inherits the significant changes made in ISO 9001:2015, including the common ten-section structure and wording provided by Annex SL.
Thanks to Annex SL, TL 9000:2016 is more compatible with other management system standards, such as ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO/IEC 27001, facilitating the integration of management systems.
Two new TL 9000 adders in R6 touch on the internal audit program and sustainability assessment.
The current revision of the Measurements Handbook (which evolves independently of the Requirements Handbook) is MHB R5.5. Copies of both Handbooks, along with a wealth of TL 9000 resources, are available from the tl9000.org website.
Keep up with the changing ICT landscape
Today’s ICT operating environment magnifies the importance of quality, with its increased emphasis on sustainability, benchmarking, and positioning for next generation technologies and applications.
Competition is increasing; technologies are converging and transforming; and the resulting complexity is without precedent. TL 9000 provides value and benefits across all supply chain and reliability disciplines by providing a consistent set of quality expectations that help organizations keep up with rapid technology changes and heightened customer expectations.
Why NQA should be your choice
With a wealth of experience providing accredited management systems certifications, NQA is ideally placed to partner with you to help you to meet customer requirements and to exceed industry expectations. NQA is one of the top half-dozen TL 9000 certification bodies worldwide, supporting close to fifty organizations in their continuing TL journeys.
Technical committees and industry relationships. NQA is highly involved in a wide variety of industry committees and standards writing teams, helping us to maintain up-to-the-minute awareness of changes within this industry. Our TL 9000 experts are longstanding and continuously active participants in TIA’s Business Performance community and its key work groups.
Knowledge transfer supporting your organizational strategy. NQA is committed to ensuring customer awareness regarding changes in industry strategy, regulations, and standard requirements that may impact your management system approach. Our knowledgeable, experienced and personable staff includes industry experts, published SMEs, and active TIA participants.
“You both were excellent on the audits and your bedside manner with the folks you interviewed. I appreciate working with pro's... Sanmina P20 will be much better due to your efforts.” Wayne Simmons, Sanmina Quality Manager
"As always, we appreciate your thoroughness and your deep knowledge of the TL 9000 standard." Tom Liu, Director of Delivery Programs at BroadSoft, Inc.
Steps to Certification
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Step 1
Complete a Quote Request Form so we can understand you and your business. We will then use this to personally prepare a proposal for your certification and define what is known as your 'scope of assessment'.
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Step 2
We will then contact you to book your assessment with an NQA assessor. It consists of two mandatory visits that form the Initial Certification Audit. Please note that you must be able to demonstrate that your management system has been operational for a minimum of three months and has been subject to a management review and a full cycle of internal audits.
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Step 3
Following a successful stage two audit, a decision is made. If positive, your certification will be issued by NQA, with both a hard and soft copy of the certificate awarded. Certification is valid for three years and maintained through surveillance audits (years one and two) and a recertification audit in year three.
