An empirical study of ISO 9000 on the supply chain of a company leader in the heating sector

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions toward issues and benefits of ISO 9000 certification in seven different productive firms of a company leader in the production and commercialization of heating systems for water and environment, for industrial and domestic use. Design/methodology/approach: An innovative vertical analysis on ISO 9000 was conducted by an empirical study on a representative sample of the supply chain of a company in the heating sector. Questionnaires were used which covered several topics related to the reasons for pursuing ISO certification, to the installation phase and the identified benefits and issues. Findings: The results of the questionnaire outline that the reasons behind the implementation of ISO 9000 were mainly externally driven (customer request, company image and competitive advantages). The vertical analysis carried out demonstrated a shared vision between the main company and the seven selected productive plants involved in the study on the quality system based on the ISO 9000 standard. Originality/value: This study represents the first step in analyzing the relationship between ISO certification and company performance.