Comprehensive Analysis: ISO Certification in Singapore's Market

This report delves into the significance of ISO certification within the Singaporean market, analyzing its historical evolution and impact across diverse sectors. It highlights the importance of quality management and the adoption of ISO standards, particularly ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, in enhancing business performance and meeting regulatory requirements. The report explores the application of ISO certification in key industries such as manufacturing, logistics, and construction, emphasizing its role in improving product quality, process efficiency, and supply chain security. It also discusses the adoption of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) and the role of ISO 27001 in securing sensitive information. By examining the various schemes and their influence, the report aims to provide insights into the benefits of ISO certification for companies operating in Singapore's competitive economic environment. The report concludes with a discussion of research gaps and future scope, offering recommendations for further investigation into the evolution and impact of ISO standards.

Running head: ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
ISO Certification in Singapore
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
Abstract
The study seeks to clarify the role of ISO certification in the industry along with a special
emphasis on the market of Singapore. The quality management is very important for all types
of products produced in the country. There are different types of ISO certification which are
used by the companies. It is stated that ISO certification is referred to as the international
standards that identifies the needs for a quality management system (QMS) and all the
organizations use the standards specified by the ISO standardization authority to provide
products and services. the ISO certification also allows meeting the regulatory requirements
of the government as well. In this regard, it can be stated that the most popular standards is
ISO 9001 and it is in the ISO 9000 series. Moreover, it can be stated that the ISO 9001 was
first published in the year of 1987 by the International Organization and Standardization
(ISO) and the current version of the ISO 9001 was published in September 2015. Quality
management (QM) and environmental management (EM) are primarily business practices
and all of them help the companies in a positive manner. Hence, implementing the QM in an
effective manner by using the ISO certification can impact the performances of the
organizations positively as well. In case of Singapore, it is stated that it is one of the most
competitive economies in the world and the country has observed a huge growth in terms of
the economy of the country in last two decades. The eight prime principles of quality
management were used to design ISO where 9000 and 9001 have identified as most
prevalent, widely known and widely accepted compared to any ISO certification that was
published and Singapore is no exception of it. One of the prime reasons can be the
development of ISO which provided certification to a range of firms. The common equipment
industry in Singapore includes electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling
equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing equipment, processed food and beverages

2ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
equipment’s, ship repair, offshore platform construction and medical equipment. The logistic
industry of the country seeks to adopt the best practices in the country in order to supply the
best quality products to the consumers. In the Singapore, it is stated that Singapore develops
supply chain security as a part of the logistic ISO certification the country has created a
healthy IT platform by using ISO27001 certification. While assessing the conditions of the
third party logistics, it can be stated that the Singapore holds the 21st position out of top 25
countries in the world. The organisations which are engaged in the logistic business are
associated with the emission of greenhouse gases in the environment during the logistic
process. Therefore, as a consequence of this problem, the manufacturing companies are
opting for Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM). The ISO certification process is
equally crucial for the construction industry as well and in various studies, the importance of
the ISO certification system is identified in multiple literatures as well. In this regard, it can
be stated that the quality management system is one of the widely adopted and implemented
issues in the construction industry. Therefore, it can be stated that the implementation of
ISO9000 in the construction industry is very important as it can effectively handle various
type of critical issues that can help the entire organization.

3ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
Table of Contents
Chapter I.....................................................................................................................................5
Introduction............................................................................................................................5
Aims of the Study...................................................................................................................8
Chapter two outline:...................................................................................................................8
Chapter Two...............................................................................................................................9
Review of Literature..............................................................................................................9
History and evolution:................................................................................................................9
ISO certification in equipment:............................................................................................11
ISO Certification in Logistics..............................................................................................15
ISO Certification in Construction Industry..........................................................................19
Research Gaps and Future Scope.........................................................................................22

4ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
List of Figures
Fig.1 : ISO certification in Malyasia............................................................................... 25
Fig.2 : Importance of ISO certification in Quality Management.................................... 26
Fig.3 : Green Supply Chain Management .......................................................................27

5ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
Chapter I
Introduction
Over the years, the use of ISO certification is used by the companies as a part of the
quality improvement of the products manufactured by the different companies, the ISO
certification process is used. Therefore, the quality management is very important for all
types of products produced in the country. There are different types of ISO certification
which are used by the companies. It is stated that ISO certification is referred to as the
international standards that identifies the needs for a quality management system (QMS) and
all the organizations use the standards specified by the ISO standardization authority to
provide products and services. Therefore, it can be stated that the use of ISO standardization
also helps the companies to meet the needs of the customers and along with this, it is reported
that the ISO certification also allows meeting the regulatory requirements of the government
as well. In this regard, it can be stated that the most popular standards is ISO 9001 and it is in
the ISO 9000 series. Moreover, it can be stated that the ISO 9001 was first published in the
year of 1987 by the International Organization and Standardization (ISO) and the current
version of the ISO 9001 was published in September 2015 (Heinzle et al., 2013). Quality
management (QM) and environmental management (EM) are primarily business practices
and all of them help the companies in a positive manner. Hence, implementing the QM in an
effective manner by using the ISO certification can impact the performances of the
organizations positively as well. The companies that use QM mainly focus on enhancing the
value for their customers and thereby the levels of the customer satisfaction are also
enhanced.

6ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
The continuous improvement of the processes and quality of the products lead to
enhanced revenues of the companies who are using this ISO certification as the continuous
improvement of the product quality will also enhance the product reliability and so the more
number of people are buying the particular products (Joseph & Ikau, 2018). According to the
study of Kirchoff, Tate, Mollenkopf (2016), it is stated that the enhanced product quality and
enhancement of the process efficiency also reduce the production costs of the products
produced by the company. Therefore, it can be stated that the reduction in the production
costs by improving the quality of the products and related processes through ISO certification
also contributes to the overall revenue generation by the company itself. As a consequence of
this enhanced revenue generation, the company using proper ISO certification technique also
gains competitive advantages to the companies as well and along with this it can be stated
that EM also positively affects performances of the companies positively and so positive
effect results from the positive effect on the companies costs and revenues.
In this regard, it can be stated that the management system standards (MSSs) have
enjoyed huge success for last years through using the QM system (ISO 9001) and along with
this another important QM is ISO 14001 used by the companies. While discussing about the
appearance of the MSS in the perspective of QM in the industry, it can be stated that the first
quality assessment of ISO certification is ISO 8402 and this certification allows the products
to maintain the quality of the products. According to the study of Heras‐Saizarbitoria and
Boiral (2013), it is stated that the at the end of 2010, almost 1.109.905 ISO 9001 certificates
were given to the different companies of 178 counties of different parts of the world and this
number is almost thrice of the number of certification issued at the end of 2000. Therefore,
the success of ISO 9000 standards, another standardization certificate that is ISO 14000 is
issued and it is mainly associated with the environmental issues related the manufacturing

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process of the companies. Along with the success of ISO 9000, over the last 10 year the ISO
14000 also has a huge level of success and this certification also has seen a huge growth in
different countries of the world. It is stated that the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 are not at all the
performance standards measuring the quality of the products produced by the companies in
the different counties of the world. Basically this certification system is mainly used to set the
standards to systemize and formalize a large numbers of corporate processes along with the
document implementation (Lushi et al., 2016). In case of Singapore, it is stated that it is one
of the most competitive economies in the world and the country has observed a huge growth
in terms of the economy of the country in last two decades. Hence, it can be stated that the
companies of this country should follow the international standards in order to maintain the
quality of the products. Therefore, it is stated that the country is one of the safest place to start
a new business in paving way for ISO certification in the country. This opinion is appreciated
by the business experts around the worlds just due to the implementation of various policies
by the Singapore Government to enable fast track growth of the economy of the company by
encouraging the adoption of international standards like ISO certification in the country.
The ease of performing the business in the country has made the country a popular
destination for the different companies to provide quality products and facilities with the help
of ISO standards such as ISO 9001 certification in Singapore. It is stated that the
manufacturing industry in the country is the largest industry as it contributes to almost 20 to
25 per cent of the country’s annual GDP growth. Therefore, it can be stated that the ISO
certification standards like ISO ISO14001 certification in Singapore, 9001 certification in
Singapore and ISO 45001 certification in Singapore help the industry to perform in a better
manner. Not only in the manufacturing industry, in various other industries such as logistic
industries and construction industries the ISO certifications are also important. However, it is

8ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
also stated that the financial service industries also requires to follow the ISO certifications
standards such as ISO 27001 certification in Singapore is generally used to shield sensitive
information in the country (Pang & Lim 2015).
Aims of the Study
The main aim of the study is to study common ISO certification schemes prevalent in
Singapore.
Chapter two outline:
This project aims to study common ISO certification schemes prevalent in Singapore.
Many industrial organizations that offer their goods and services have complied with ISO
standard. Chapter Two initially provides a general introduction to the history of ISO and
development of ISO 9000 and then concentrated more on the common schemes used in
Singapore. The summative overview of the principles along with common schemes used in
Singapore was discussed in the latter part of the chapter. The literature of the chapter will be
divided into three subsections such as common schemes of ISO in the equipment industry,
common schemes ISO in logistic industry and common schemes of ISO in the construction
industry. Lastly, the chapter will provide a brief idea of the literature gap along with the
limitation of the study. The future recommendations for the research will also be provided for
enabling future researchers to involve in the extensive research regarding the schemes and
improve quality management.

9ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
Chapter Two.
Review of Literature
History and evolution:
For organizations to meet the standard for improving quality of the product along with
consistency to meet the expectations of the clients, ISO certification is considered as one of
the suitable means that addressees a range of aspects of quality management. Considering the
history of the ISO, Brotons and Sansalvador (2016), suggested that the International
Organization for Standardization or ISO first discovered on 23 February 1947 when the
organization promoted worldwide property, industry and commercial standard. While it was
suspended in 1942 during World War II after the war ISA was approached by Nations
Standards Coordinating Committee (UNSCC) for developing a global standard which will
not only shape the practices of the organizations around the globe but also improve a range of
aspect of quality management around the globe (Chiarini, 2019).
The development of ISO changed the revenue of international market and increased
competition of the international market. Consequently, businesses and organizations started
recognizing the importance of adopting TQM for improved overall performance and
improved quality program (Lahidji & Tucker, 2016). Similar to other economically
flourished countries, Singapore also experienced huge growth after implementing the
International Organization for Standardization as a global standard (Chivandi & Maziriri,
2017). The standard is generic in nature can be applied in any manufactured and services for
enhancing quality management process and performance of the organization. The eight prime
principles of quality management were used to design ISO where 9000 and 9001 have

10ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
identified as most prevalent, widely known and widely accepted compared to any ISO
certification that was published and Singapore is no exception of it. The eight most widely
known principles include customer focus, the involvement of people, process approach for
quality management of the business, management system approach, continual improvement,
factual approach to the decision making and relationship of the supplier.
Therefore, these eight principles are most crucial to consider while developing the
International Organization for Standardization was used. Three common languages are used
officially for providing the best understanding of the quality such as English, French and
Russian. It is usually funded by the combination of organizations that are involved in the
management of specific projects to participate in the technical work, subscription from
member bodies, trade figures and gross national product each country and sale of standard. It
is suggested that the common schemes that are followed by the industries in the Singapore
are BCA ISO 9000 certification which was launched in 1991. The objective of the schemes is
to promote the adoption of international quality management system standards in Singapore
industry, especially the construction industry.
As per the recent report of the quality management of the industries in the Singapore,
more than 200 firms in the agricultural, construction, property, engineering, building
materials, equipment industry and the related arena have been certified according to this
scheme. To promote quality management the scheme uses eight principles of quality
management as a philosophy where the mission of the scheme is to provide impartial
certification and highly professionals services to the firms within the industry which will lead
to the achievement of the compliance with the relevant requirement of ISO 14000, ISO 9000,
SMC standards. While schemes usually open to the construction industry such as quantity

11ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
survivor, consulting engineers and Concrete-related product manufacturers and suppliers, the
schemes also developed for logistic industry and equipment industry.
ISO certification in equipment:
Similar to construction and logistic industry, the equipment industry of Singapore has
been recognized as an effective means of gaining huge economic enhancement. One of the
prime reasons can be the development of ISO which provided certification to a range of
firms. The common equipment industry in Singapore includes electronics, chemicals,
financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing equipment,
processed food and beverages equipment’s, ship repair, offshore platform construction and
medical equipment. Yalcinkaya et al. (2016), conducted a literature review on the ISO
scheme for Advertising Equipment Vibrating Knife Cutting Machine in Singapore. The result
of the study suggested the common schemes for the equipment industry, especially Vibrating
Knife Cutting Machine is to develop a product that can meet the expectations of the
customers, achieve the professional scope of services, manage the conflict of interest and
ensure the objectivity of the management.
The researchers suggested that according to the present four kinds of digital cutting
machines which are certified by ISO. These four knives successfully met the standards of
ISO and criteria of schemes since these vibrating digital knives save labour and material cost,
user-friendly, boost the capacity of the product, reduces lead time for cutting the pattern from
clients. The continuous improvement was observed due to the innovative techniques as it uses
oscillating Blade with multifunctional tool heads to save times. However, the granting social
licence to operate is considered as the challenge. The limitation of the research is that the
research mostly focused on equipment characteristics rather than schemes for the industry.

12ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
García-León et al. (2019), conducted an experimental study for assessing the compliance of
ceramic equipment in the energy plants with ISO 50001:2011 and energy optimization of the
equipment. The researchers used the Integral Energy Management System for data collection
where STATGRAPHICS Centurion XV Software used for assessing energy consumption
during the manufacturing of H-10 blocks. The outcome demonstrated that the stabilization of
the energy efficiency is directly associated with maximization of manufacture without
investment by purchasing new equipment. Therefore, the common ISO scheme suggested
that resources of the company can be optimized only with the creativity and the follow-up of
the process, especially for applied management technologies.
Besides, the process can be optimized through the adoption of a culture of energy
management in an efficient way. Therefore, the ISO scheme for this ceramic sector mainly
focused the customer satisfaction, enhanced efficiency of the organization by optimizing the
performance of the employees who involved in the manufacturing of productivity. The
researchers suggested that higher staff morals as a third-party certification provide an added
benefit to the equipment industry and it enhances the image of the organization in the global
market. The researchers also suggested that in order to gain ISO certification, a range of
variables that impact the process is required consider. The limitation of the study is the lack
of adequate information regarding the prevalent schemes.
On the other hand, Smith (2019), conducted an experimental study on International
Standards Organization 22000 in the food industry cleaning tool. The food industry cleaning
tools and equipment had been identified as a prime source as well as a vector of the
contamination. The researchers conducted a literature review on the hygiene design, materials
of construction and development of cleaning equipment and guidance provided by ISO/TS
22000-1-2009 to facilitate quality management. The result of the study suggested that

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according to ISO/TS 22000-1-2009, the equipment and utensil of the food industry should be
designed, constructed and installed in such a way that the construction must meet the
applicable regulatory requirement and it should not pose a threat to the product produced.
The equipment should be produced in such a way that can promote safe food preservation
and the design should be maintained in a condition which does not contain a potential source
of extraneous matter.
The design of the equipment includes no sharp internal angel, made of food contact
compliant materials. The limitation of the study is a narrative literature review with no
appropriate research design. Comprehensive research design is required to adopt in order to
gain adequate information regarding ISO certification. Likewise, Othman, Arifin and Ramli
(2017) conducted a semi-structured discussion on the manufacturer of biomedical calibration
laboratory equipment accredited under ISO/IEC 17025. The literature review was conducted
based on equipment of testing and calibration laboratories since the demand for biomedical
equipment and calibration services gradually increased.
The countries like Malaysia are required to comply with ISO/IEC 17025:2005
requirements as well as national unified laboratory accreditation scheme in order to provide
adequate quality of the product. The common factors under the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for the
biomedical equipment include reliability, quality and after-sale services. The scheme
suggested that the biomedical equipment should be designed, constructed and installed in
such a way that the construction must meet the applicable regulatory requirement and should
promote safe laboratory practice.
The designed should be constructed in such a way that can promote easy cleaning,
saving time and serve the purpose without posing a severe threat. All equipment is designed

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in such a way that can frequently control the contaminated and must have protective clothing
for preventing the contamination. The equipment must not have any sharp angles, must have
a smooth surface finish so that the hazard associated with the sharp angles and uneven
surfaces can be prevented. Moreover, the regular monitoring and cleaning efficacy is required
to increase for meeting the demand of the customers. The researchers suggested that hygiene
and cleaning program must be developed for the employees can develop expertise and skills
to manufacture and clean such equipment. To improve the quality management and gain
revenue, the scheme suggested that insert the repair element to the service as an after-sale
service since in this industry the supporting the repair elements will enable to bring faster
revenue and bring the customer. Cai and Jun (2018), conducted a semi-structured interview
regarding four major ISO 9000 internalization process which can be used in the equipment
industry for continuous improvement, leadership and customer-focused mission.
The focus group of the research was 47qaulity managers. The survey was also
conducted regarding the documentation process improvement, education and auditing. The
FsQCA analysis method was adopted for analysing the survey result. The result of the
analysis suggested that majority of the equipment firm lacks a pre-existing quality
management system for optimizing the process and manufacturing QMS and therefore, they
experience external pressure for adopting ISO 9000, likely to substantially improve the
performance of their operations through ISO 9000 implementation. The researchers further
suggested that when a firm has a pre-existing Quality management system in place before the
adoption of ISO 9000 /or implement ISO 9000 as well as other quality improvement
initiatives for considering another aspect of quality improvement, the performance of its
improved operations is not essentially accredited to the ISO 9000 implementation alone.

15ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
Rather improved operations performance and associated manufacturing are highly
associated with a combination of ISO 9000 implementation and other initiatives along with
proper monitoring. In this context, internal motivation and incentives are the two most crucial
part of facilitating management. Therefore, in order to achieve and maintain certification, a
firm generally goes through three stages such as Pre-Audit Review Stage, Quality System
Audit Stage and Surveillance Audit Stage. Implementing the QM in an effective manner by
using the ISO certification and successfully involving in these three stages can impact the
performances of the organizations. It will further enhance the value for their customers and
thereby the levels of the customer satisfaction are also enhanced.
ISO Certification in Logistics
In Singapore, it is observed that the country is aiming to improve the infrastructure
and connectivity so that they can portray themselves as a regional logistic hub of the world.
In the year of 2007, the country was marked as world’s number one logistic hub in the world
by the World Bank and as result it helped them to develop the country as a strong base for the
logistic business. As a part of this the country developed themselves to provide a sustainable
supply chain solutions for the global economy by using the ISO certifications in the country
and it can be stated that such initiatives will help the country to sustain in the market.
The logistic industry of the country seeks to adopt the best practices in the country in
order to supply the best quality products to the consumers (Bastas & Liyanage, 2018). The
main goal of the certification schemes is to maintain the quality of the products supplied to
the customers and proper certification of the logistic industry will help the market players to
maintain the quality standards of different countries of the world and hence it can be stated

16ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
that the securing the quality of the products can enhance the issue of customer satisfaction as
well and thereby the overall growth of the company’s revenue system can be observed.
Furthermore, the overall revenue gain of the company will also help the economy of
the country to grow as well. In the country, it is stated that Singapore develops supply chain
security as a part of the logistic ISO certification the country has created a healthy IT
platform by using ISO27001 certification. While assessing the conditions of the third party
logistics, it can be stated that the Singapore holds the 21st position out of top 25 countries in
the world.
In the logistic industry the integration of the ISO certification is mainly associated
with the quality management issue of the products delivered through these services. In this
regard it can be stated that the by securing the ISO certification the companies or the
organization can satisfy the needs of the customers. The issue of customer satisfaction is the
central needs of the quality management of products and so it is the duty of the service
providers to secure the quality of the products by meeting all the criteria of the ISO
certification.
The ISO certification in the country mainly tries to improve the quality of the
services provided to the consumers and proper maintenance of the standard protocols will
help to further development of the country’s economy and along with this the competitive
advantages will also be obtained by the organization. In the logistic market the ISO
certification process mainly is primarily introduced to improve the business and
organization’s performances in the country as well (Bastas & Liyanage, 2018).

17ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
Moreover, the quality management system of the company includes total quality
management and lean six sigma concept and both of them are associated with the sustainable
development of the logistic services of the company and thereby play a significant role in
overall quality improvement of the logistic services (Zimon , 2016). The certification in the
logistic services is associated with the supply chain management of the products and thus it is
very crucial to maintain the proper supply chain services in order to maintain the customer
satisfaction.
Therefore, in recent time it is observed that in this modern world all the companies
must maintain the quality of their products and along with this they should maintain the
quality of the products offered by them to their consumers as the competitiveness in the
market is enhancing day by day and it is the customers have the multiple options to opt for.
Hence, the maintenance of the quality is very important for all the companies to maintain
their customer bases and overall revenue in every year. Moreover, the maintenance of quality
of the products will also help the companies to maintain their reputation in the market as
well. Coordination and cross enterprise integration are the core components of the logistic
business or supply chain management around the different counties of the world (Bevilacqua
et al., 2013).
In this context, it can be stated that the logistics service mainly includes channel of
materials, goods and services, information and transformation of the products and the demand
of the products. On the other hand the concept of supply chain management comprise of
planning process, seeking of the market customers, stakeholder requirements and hence any
type of disruptions in any of these processes can hamper the overall process of logistic
services as the supply chain is a major part of the logistic service. Therefore, it can be stated
that such type of disruption in the logistic can hamper the issue of customer satisfaction

18ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
issues as well. In recent time, most of the companies under the logistic system are opting for
the green supply chain management in order to maintain the sustainable business process.
The main reason of the green supply chain system is mainly associated with the degradation
of the environmental condition.
With the advancement of time, the international environmental regulations are also
become very strict and growing environment concern over the consumer concern has affected
the manufacturing industries and thereby affects the logistic services as well (Heinzle et al.,
2013). In this context, it can be stated that the organisations which are engaged in the logistic
business are associated with the emission of greenhouse gases in the environment during the
logistic process. Therefore, as a consequence of this problem, the manufacturing companies
are opting for Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) (Abdullah, 2016). Therefore, it can
be stated that the betterment in the product quality can also enhance the product life-cycle
and thereby improves the overall sustainability of the products as well. In this regard, it can
be stated that the use of the Green Supply Chain Management in the logistic business
gradually improves the performances of the organization (Bevilacqua et al., 2013). According
to the study of Kirchoff,, Tate and Mollenkopf (2016), again the effectiveness of the Green
Supply Chain Management in the logistic business is also identified in the study.
This present study mainly based on the Green Supply Chain Management of the
Malaysian market. In this study, the effectiveness of the Green Supply Chain Management in
the performances of the logistic business is identified. The study identified a few hypotheses
in the study and their association with the green supply chain management in three steps. In
this context, it can be stated that the use of GCSM in the business has serious impact on the
financial performances and on the overall business process as well.

19ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
The hypothesis test result showed that only the reverse logistics is a significant
predictor of the variability of the firms’ performances. In this context, it can be stated that
the green purchasing and internal environmental practices can predicts the market and
financial performances of the company as a part of the green supply chain management
system in a logistic company. Along with this, it was also reported that the use of green
supply chain management system is associated with the enhanced customer satisfaction in the
market and shows intangible outcomes related to the purchasing behaviours of the consumers
of the market.
The accuracy and speed of the production process in the logistic service will allow the
customers not to reject the products and simultaneously enhances the customer satisfaction by
meeting the needs and demands of the customers. The study reported that the green supply
chain management mainly follows the ISO 14001 standard and it can be stated that the
following this ISO standardization will improve the business process of the logistics services
(Joseph & Ikau, 2018).
ISO Certification in Construction Industry
The ISO certification process is equally crucial for the construction industry as well
and in various studies, the importance of the ISO certification system is identified in multiple
literatures as well. In this regard, it can be stated that the quality management system is one
of the widely adopted and implemented issues in the construction industry. In this regard, it
can be stated that there are various studies that state the effect of the ISO certification on the
construction industry is very effective in improving the quality of the products and reliability
of the products as well. Towards the end of 1990s, the ISO9000 was adopted all over the
world by the construction companies around the different countries of the world. ISO900 0 is

20ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
the most common QMS in the construction industry in the recent times compared to the other
systems to improve the quality performances of the company involved in the construction
industry (Leong, Zakuan & Saman, 2014).
Initially the quality performance was measured in the manufacturing industry to
improve the quality of the manufactured products produced by the construction industry.
However, the study of Tang and Chen (2013), it is stated that the construction industries of
Hong Kong is not familiar with the idea of TQM system as a part of the ISO certification
system and it is stated that the ISO certification can improve the overall performances of the
construction industry. Although the TQM has been introduced in the construction industry
greatly in order to improve the project performances, still a huge number of companies are
not at all familiar to the system. In another study by Ashokkumar (2014), it is stated that the
implementation of the TQM in the construction industry has improved the quality of the
construction services and simultaneously reduces the costs of the construction process and
enhances the productivity in the construction industry as well. Furthermore, the integration of
the TQM system along with ISO certification process also improves the production rate of the
construction industry.
However, it is also true that the implementation process of the ISO9000 certification
in the construction industry is not so easy and may face various obstacles. The main obstacles
associated with the implementation of the ISO9000 certification in the construction industries
are mainly associated with the facts of people resistance in adapting themselves to the
updated process of QMS, wrong views of people due to their lack of understanding regarding
the ISO 9000 quality system (Abdullah et al., 2013). Moreover, it is also stated that some of
the companies are not considering the issue of quality as their primary concerns and thus they
are not ready to accept to implement the QMS services and ISO9000 certification in their

21ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
companies. Apart from that it is also stated that the implementation of the QMS and ISO9000
certification causes extra burden of costs on the company and thus such companies are not
willing to implement the system in their company.
Moreover, in various studies, it is reported that the during the initial stage of
implementation of ISO9000 certification, the employees are not able to perform their work
properly due to the learning and it may hamper the productivity of the workers and so the
construction companies are not willing to perform the ISO certification implementation in
their organization (Aba & Badar, 2013). However, in various studies it is stated that the after
implementing the ISO certification in the construction industry, the companies show
significant improvements in their performances in the market. Various studies showed that
the implementation of ISO9000 certification in the construction industries has impacted the
company performances in a positive way and thereby helps in the improvement of the
delivery of construction products.
In the construction industry of Singapore, the most important factors for the ISO9000
certification are support from the management and commitment of the organizations. Some
cases in the country, it can be stated that the QMS along with ISO9000 certification primarily
helps in maintain the technical requirements of the standards set by the ISO certification
process in the country. Therefore, it can be stated that the implementation of ISO9000 in the
construction industry is very important as it can effectively handle various type of critical
issues that can help the entire organization by improving the management control and also
effectively enhances the productivity of the employees. Moreover, such implementation
process also enhances the customer satisfaction by improving the customer services (Shuai,
Ying & Fan, 2018).

22ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
Research Gaps and Future Scope
Although various studies identified the role of the ISO certification in the
manufacturing, construction industry and equipment industry, still the effectiveness of this
process in these industries of Singapore are not well explored. Therefore, the future research
will take care about the fact that whether there is significant relationship among the
implementation process and outcomes of the industry. Therefore, it can be stated that the
research in Singapore industry will help the country to grow more.

23ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
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27ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE

28ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
Appendices
Appendix 1.
Fig.1 :
ISO certification in Malyasia

29ISO CERTIFICATION IN SINGAPORE
Fig.2 : Importance of ISO certification in Quality Management