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ISO 9001 Introduced for NIMS Materials Data Sheets

- First Application by a Government Research Institute -
　

　
 On May 20, 2002, NIMS obtained ISO 9001 Certification for the Quality Management Systems for our Materials Data Sheet Project, and Creep test and Accident Investigation Services that are closely related to the project. There are some 24,000 companies and organizations in manufacturing, construction, civil engineering, and service industries and in the R & D field that have been issued ISO 9001 Certification, but NIMS is the first institute among governmental research institutes, including independent administrative institutes, to be awarded the Certificate.
 We went through a preparatory period for gaining the Certificate: we first set up the ISO 9001 Certificate Acquisition Committee about 18 months ago and began to make an all-out effort to ensure success in its acquisition. Young researchers carried out investigations with this aim during while government research institutes underwent administrative reforms, during which we became an "Independent Administrative Institute" in April, 2001. The intended scope of certification is data sheets on creep characteristics and fatigue characteristics, a program in which we have been engaged for over three decades; 10-year air exposure corrosion data sheets, whose preparation started in 2001; vehicles materials characteristics data sheets, including data for cryogenic conditions, such as at 4 K; and creep testing services and accident investigation services for provision at the request of public agencies, which together form the core of our activities.
 ISO 9001 is the standard for quality systems, not product quality. It is a standard developed from the client's viewpoint that requires applicants to provide the quality capability that satisfies the client's needs. NIMS intends to continuously improve the reliability and quality of our research and related services while always using the ISO 9001 standard as a basic criterion. Listening to and responding to clients' requests are standard operating procedures in our research and service programs.