DQS

Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Zertifizierung von Managementsystemen (DQS)

Type	Standards Organization
Industry	Assessment, Certification
Founded	1985
Headquarters	Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Area served	Global
Key people	Stefan Heinloth (Spokesman) Michael Drechsel Ganesh Rao
Products	Certification of Managementsystems and Processes
Revenue	€ 83,3 Mil. (2010)
Employees	2.800 (2011), to include 2.300 auditors[1]
Website	DQS USA

DQS Holding GmbH based in Frankfurt am Main is the holding company of the worldwide DQS-UL Group. The group provides assessments and certifications of management systems and processes of any type.

History

DQS was founded in 1985 in Frankfurt am Main and was the first German certification body. The aim of the founding partners, DGQ (German Society for Quality) and DIN (German Institute for Standardization), was mainly to promote the German economy. The foundation overlapped with the publication of the first drafts of the ISO 9000 series of standards, which also include the most important quality standard worldwide today: ISO 9001.

In 1986 DQS became the first certification body in Germany to issue a certificate according to ISO 9001.^[2]

After the merger of DQS with the Management Systems Solutions (MSS) division of the American product certification body Underwriters Laboratories Inc. in March 2008, DQS-UL Group is currently one of the world's largest system certification bodies.

Corporate Organization

DQS Holding GmbH has more than 80 offices in over 60 countries, which form a network for the realization of international projects. DQS-UL group currently has about 20,000 certified customers across almost all industries with approximately 47,000 certified locations in over 100 countries.

The company employs about 2,800 people of which 2,300 are auditors. Among the largest companies within the group are UL DQS Inc. (USA), DQS do Brasil Ltd., UL DQS Japan, DQS Medizinprodukte GmbH (Medical Devices) and DQS GmbH (both Germany).

DQS GmbH in Germany

Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main and with local offices in Berlin, Hamburg, and Stuttgart, DQS GmbH offers the entire service spectrum of the group in Germany. With over 200 employees and about 800 auditors, it is the largest subsidiary of DQS Holding GmbH. Managing Director is Michael Drechsel.

Service spectrum

The international offices of DQS-UL Group focus their portfolio of assessment services on their respective market situation and customer requirements. The group’s service spectrum includes cross-industry assessments to customer or industry-specific requirements and certifications to more than 100 nationally and internationally recognized standards and specifications. Among the most important scopes and standards are:

• ISO 9001 (Quality)

• ISO 14001 (Environment)

• BS OHSAS 18001 (Occupational safety and health)

• ISO/TS 16949 (Automotive)

• ISO 27001 (Information Security)

• ISO 13485 (Medical Devices)

• IRIS (International Railway Industry Standard) (Railway Industry)

• EN 9100ff (Aerospace)

In addition, the group also offers assessments in the areas of Risk Management Systems, Sustainability, Energy Management, Education, Data Privacy, Business Excellence, Health and Social Services, and Integrated Management Systems.

Approach

The group’s approach is unique in that assessment services are mainly provided by external auditors on a fee basis. The auditors generally work in the industry sector which they assess. This combination of certification and industry knowledge with practical and scientific experience is meant to ensure that assessments are performed using the most up-to-date, state of the art know-how from the respective industry sector.

Network

DQS is a charter and full member of the international certification network IQNet Association which was founded in 1990. The main objective of the currently 36-member global network is the mutual recognition of certificates issued by the member companies. The current Managing Director of DQS GmbH, Michael Drechsel, is currently President of the network.

External links

• 2008 Merger between DQS and the Management Systems Solutions Division of Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

Various selected DQS Websites

• http://www.dqs-ul.com/en/ DQS USA
• http://www.dqs-ul.com/ DQS International Website
• http://www.dqs-ul.de/ DQS Germany

References

1. ^ DQS-UL Group: Facts and Figures 2010
2. ^ Fiorenzo Franceschini, Maurizio Galetto, and Giovanni Gianni: A new forecasting model for the diffusion of ISO 9000 standard certifications in European countries, International Journal of Quality & Riliability Management, 21 (2004) p. 32–50.