Honduras announced the Customs Certification project under ISO 9001:2015, an international standard that regulates Quality Management Systems.
The initiative, presented this Thursday (29.07.2021) in an event broadcast live on the social network Facebook, seeks to contribute to increasing competitiveness by improving service to citizens, trade facilitation, fiscal and administrative efficiency, security, transparency and certainty in the customs system.
In the opening, andThe Executive Director of the Honduran Customs Administration, Juan José Vides, said: “Day by day, companies and institutions face demands for continuous improvement; today we are once again taking a step towards ensuring a consistent improvement in customs performance and efficiency, based on planning and control through the implementation of quality management services through ISO 9001:2015 Certification.”
In that sense, the Regional Vice President of the World Customs Organization and Customs Superintendent of Guatemala, Werner Ovalle, stated that “quality management is a figure that promotes transparency and allows for continuous improvement in the different processes that must be worked on.” He added: “Foreign trade is changing and customs must be on par.” The regional head of the WCO welcomed Honduras’ political commitment to creating a culture of continuous optimization and guaranteeing the effectiveness of the Quality Management System.
From the planning, control, and improvement of procedures, based on compliance with the requirements demanded by the product or service and customer satisfaction, the National Customs Administration will work on the certification of 6 service lines:
- Attention
- Information
- Construction inspection
- Training
- Final Import/Export
- Collection.
The Certification project consists of two phases. The First: “Diagnosis, Planning and Design” In this phase, an in-depth analysis and study of the areas to be certified will be carried out in order to prepare an assessment in which the institution's degree of compliance with the requirements dictated by the ISO 9001:2015 standard will be known and compared. A work plan will be drawn up, detailing the activities, adhering to the standard with its deadlines and those responsible. The Design will define the key elements of the Quality Management System, reformulating the procedures, indicators, formats, and establishing the documentary support for the System.
For its part, the The second phase is based on “Implementation, Certification and Execution” With a diagnosis, design and reformulation supported by what is dictated by international regulations and implementing the control management system in the 6 areas of attention of the institution. Subsequently, the internal audit and certification audit of the entire QMS will be carried out, with the objective of determining whether the requirements of the ISO 9001:2015 standard are met; once verified, certification is carried out.
Benefits
The benefits of ISO 9001:2015 certification are as follows:
• Increases competitiveness.
• Improve quality and customer service.
• Expands business opportunities.
• Increases the quality of services.
• Meets the requirements of International Trade.
• Provides transparency.
• Provides satisfaction to users.
• Meets Strategic Objectives.
• Facilitates decision making based on data.
• Simplifies and makes processes effective.
• Improves risk and opportunity management.
• Promotes continuous progress in the institution.
ISO 9001 certification has become a benchmark for quality worldwide, and represents a standardisation of all Customs processes; this leads to greater efficiency in work and considerable time savings in the execution of tasks.
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
