DIY AT HOME - LEGO and ISO 9001 $$$

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The 80-year old LEGO Group believes "only the best is good enough", according to its founder Kirk Christiansen. Accordingly, it is registered to several key ISO standards including ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 14001 (environmental management) and ISO 8124 (safety of toys).

When was the last time you opened a new LEGO kit and discovered missing pieces or instructions or anything less than satisfactory about the product and the total experience? The LEGO brand is vital to the LEGO Group and everyone knows how difficult it is to console children when their expectations have not been met. LEGO Group can not afford this. ISO 9001 provides the necessary framework and guidelines to hold itself in check while meeting internationally-accepted best practices for running an effective Quality Management System.

LEGO is using ISO 9001 to hold its suppliers and global factories accountable to meet its quality standards and customer expectations. This is one of the benefits of the standard. The ISO certified company can call the shots when dealing with suppliers and have its pick of the litter. Ultimately, the customer wins. The standard is also being used to help fast-track global expansion.

LEGO is closely adhering to Section 7.2.3 of the standard called 'Customer communication'. That is, LEGO is determining and implementing effective arrangements for communicating with customer in relation to:

1) product information
2) inquires, contracts or order handling, including amendments, and
3) customer feedback, including customer complaints

The excerpt below is from ISO Focus + magazines' March 2010 issue, Volume 1, No. 1. 3

Since 1991, the LEGO Group has implemented ISO 9001, which it regards as the ideal framework for structuring its global quality management system (QMS) - with LEGO factories operating in countries well aware of its requirements. Using ISO 9001 is an efficient way of implementing the quality management system at new production sites. All ISO 9001 requirements will typically be familiar to quality management staff at new sites, which enable the company to focus fully on the specific internal requirements. For the consumer, the quality management system ensures that each LEGO box contains the right number and type of building elements, which are contractual to deliver the promised LEGO building experience.

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