The certification body ZER-QMS, Zertifizierungsstelle, Qualitäts- und Umweltgutachter GmbH was founded in August 1994 as a non-profit organization. Among the founding members there were different German and international institutions and associations operating in the fields of environment and infrastructure. From the very beginning, the idea was to establish ZER-QMS as a certification body for selected industries, which would offer its clients not only a generally recognized and efficient certification but also the “extra” of being a partner and a competent contact in questions concerning their specific industry or related issues. The special features of ZER-QMS procedures implementing this philosophy are:
- Employment of auditors and experts with broad knowledge and experience in the specific industries, who are subject to a strict quality assurance control by ZER-QMS.
- Existence of accreditations and permits in all fields that are of importance for our clients.
- Personal account managers in our office who are at our client´s disposal as competent contacts.
- Audits considering industry standards and company concerns.
- Close cooperation with federations of industry including representation in committees on behalf of federations in order to gain and implement up to date information.
- Attractive price policy.
In 2000, ZER-QMS was transformed into a limited company (GmbH). Also in this legal form, ZER-QMS has followed its growth path. Today, ZER-QMS performs approximately 700 certification procedures a year with more than 40 competent and experienced auditors and experts. Among these procedures are certifications and attestations according to:
- ISO 9001:2000 (quality management),
- ISO 14001 (environmental management),
- EMAS II (so-called eco audit),
- SCC / SCP (Safety Certificate Contractors / Safety Certificate Personnel Leasing),
- OHSAS (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series),
- Ordinance on Specialised Waste Management Companies,
- Packaging Ordinance,
- WEEE directive,
- End-of-life Vehicles directive,
- Emissions trading,
- RAL quality seal: e.g. audits for manufacturers of quality assured solid recovered fuels (SRF)
- DPG Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH (deposit clearing system),
- Special audits and expertise of processes and systems for federations and companies, including the development of inspection standards.
ZER-QMS is operating in 11 countries (Belgium, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Spain, Czech Republic, Turkey). ZER-QMS is also in preparation for accreditations in other countries.
