ZED Gold Certificate - Fees, Process , Documents

ZED is an acronym for zero defect zero effect. Zero defect indicates that there shouldn't be any flaws in the product, and zero effect means that there shouldn't be any negative effects on the environment or ecological aspects from the product.

ZED Gold certificate is the highest level of quality certification provided under the ZED Certification Scheme for MSMEs in India. It is given to MSMEs who have excelled in every sphere of quality, safety, production, tidiness, energy, and the environment. For MSMEs, the ZED Gold Certificate is a great asset since it promotes safety, sustainability, and an environment that uses less energy.

1. Leadership: Leadership plays a vital role in making initative Any effort needs strong leadership to be successful. Taking action to uphold the ZED ideals can show commitment to them responsibility for the efficiency of the system, evaluating ZED performance parameters while encouraging advancement.
   Requirements:
   
   • Roles & Responsibilities at all levels are clearly defined & documented
   • Organogram is established
   • Organizational Performance including regulatory compliances, quality, product & occupational safety and environmental performance is reviewed regularly for compliance and meeting the set objectives
2. Swachh Workplace: Swachh workplace enhances the environment and the image in the the eyes of clients, Stakeholders and also boosts the moral of the people who are working in the organization as well. Additionally, it is required in many industries to maintain a clean, hygienic, clutter-free, and organized work environment (Swachh workplace). There are many strategies to maintain a swachh workplace, including Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Good Hygienic Practices (GHP), 5S, etc.
   Requirements:
   
   • SOPs for cleaning & hygiene in place addressing the nature of products, processes, customer & regulatory requirements.
   • All equipment, tools, work spaces & areas are maintained clean, uncluttered & organized as per the SOPs & requirements.
   • Cleanliness & hygiene is propagated & emphasized across the supply chain Mechanism for periodic audit for cleaning, hygiene & cleaning validation (where applicable) is in place.
   • The audit results are reviewed periodically.
3. Occupational workplace safety: This criterion evaluates the organization's capacity to ensure workplace safety and compliance with safety regulations. Safety lapses may result in the loss of property and lives, which could result in legal action and reputational damage. An organization should develop a Safety Policy and thorough action plans to address the safety concerns of all stakeholders, including (but not limited to) employees, contract workers, supply chain, and community members, in order to provide a safe working environment.
   Requirements:
   
   • Formal safety policy in place.
   • Systems are in place to
   • Identify all safety aspects and communicated regularly to all employees, contract workers and supply chain partners
   • Impart regular Safety training to employees and contract workers. Also includes supply chain partners as required
   • Ensure that relevant PPEs are used by the employees
   • Develop safety systems, as required
   • Conduct mock drills involving employees and contract workers
   • Safety forms a part of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of employees
   • The organization has implemented
   • All relevant safety systems
   • Mechanism of investigation of accidents/incidents/near-misses with Root cause analysis (RCA) and Corrective & Preventive actions (CAPA)
   • Periodic mock drills involving employees and contract workers
   • Re-training and re-deployment of work accident victims, if necessary, apart from compensation as per WCA
   • Periodic safety audits (internal and/or external)
4. Measurement of timely delivery: All of the production activities' scheduling and planning results in on-time delivery. It is a crucial factor in determining consumer satisfaction. In terms of "ontime full delivery," which quantifies the number of deliveries that are supplied On Time, In Full (OTIF), this metric evaluates the capacity of various operations to deliver on time.
   Requirements:
   
   • Adherence to process delivery contracts is measured and monitored
   • Mechanism to periodically review the delivery performance by the Senior management, is in place
5. Quality Management:An organization must use quality management in order to survive and remain competitive in the market. The company should outline the scope of its Quality Management System, which should include all of its internal and external processes and products.
   Requirements:
   
   • Quality Policy is in place
   • Quality requirements for products and processes are established and monitored
   • Training is imparted to all relevant people Periodic quality audits are in place
   • Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) processes are in place
   • Mechanism of Review of Quality Management System by Senior management is in place
6. Human Resource Management: The success of every organization is greatly influenced by its people/employees. As a result, the firm needs to concentrate on improving its employees' skill sets. In order to effectively construct strategies for people development at all levels to improve the skills of the workforce, businesses must first assess the competence or skill levels of their personnel. Then, they must identify training & skill development needs and gaps. The company should also have procedures for maintaining employee engagement.
   Requirements:
   
   • HR Processes are defined
   • People development plans including induction training, ongoing coaching & feedback are in place for all employees
   • Detailed technical skill mapping in place extending to soft skills, environmental, safety and energy conservation areas backed with training and coaching for deploying people for different tasks
   • Review mechanism of people development plans/initiatives exists
7. Daily Work Management: Daily Works Management (DWM) is a system that enables the management of departments and functions, with the process owners defining, standardizing, controlling, and improving their processes.
   Requirements:
   
   • Process to set & review targets for Quality, Cost & Delivery (QCD) that are clearly linked with the long-term strategy, for all product lines, is established
   • Daily targets on QCD are suitably displayed and all relevant employees are aware
   • Status & trends on QCD are displayed and shared electronically
   • Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) processes are in place
   • Mechanism to review the effectiveness of Daily Works Management is in place
8. Planned Maintenance & Calibration: The smooth running of machinery, devices, and equipment is made possible by planned maintenance, which also guarantees timely production and delivery. In order to design a schedule of maintenance that will prevent unexpected breakdowns of the machinery, equipment, and devices, there must be a system in place for identifying the maintenance requirements (including calibration) of those items.
   Requirements:
   
   • Preventive Maintenance and calibration plan, as applicable, is in place for all machines/ equipment /devices
   • Maintenance and calibration, as applicable, are carried out periodically, as per the plan
   • Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) processes are in place
   • Trends of Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) & Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) are reviewed
9. Process Control: Process control is a major component of a production system since it seeks to guarantee that the processes consistently produce the required results. An active process change, adjustment, or correction based on the findings of process monitoring is referred to as a robust process control.
   Requirements:
   
   • All processes are proactively planned considering the process control requirements based on product, process, customer, organizational & legal requirements
   • SOPs for control of all critical and non-critical processes are established
   • Monitoring of all critical processes is in place
   • Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) processes are in place along with periodic review
10. Product Quality & Safety (Testing / Certification): The organization must determine and ensure the necessary testing and certification requirements for the products & processes (where applicable) in order to maintain product quality & safety.
    Requirements:
    
    • All relevant product quality and safety requirements are identified
    • The relevant product quality and safety requirements are fulfilled through requisite testing/ certification, as applicable
    • Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) processes are in place
    • Mechanism of review of product quality & safety by Senior management is in place
11. Material Management: Planning, managing, and regulating all of the operations involved in the flow of materials into an organization is done through the use of the material management strategy. Every firm needs a productive material management system to remain competitive in the market. The primary goals of the material management function, often known as the well-known 5 Rs of materials management, are to acquire goods and services that are of the appropriate quality, quantity, timing, source, and cost.
    Requirements:
    
    • Material management planning is based on the production requirement, nature of materials, storage conditions/requirements and to reduce environmental impact and addresses safety aspects
    • Optimal inventory is maintained
    • Inventory control mechanism is in place
    • SOPs/processes are established for ensuring timely availability of materials and suitable handling & management of the materials to reduce contamination, damages, losses, unintended hazards etc.
    • Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) processes are in place
    • Mechanism to periodically review the effectiveness of Material Management Systems is in place
12. Energy Management: Dependable systems because it conserves vital resources and lowers carbon footprint, energy efficiency is a sign of ethical manufacturing. Furthermore, one of the main financial factors that directly affects the bottom line in a manufacturing business is energy. Electrical energy, fossil fuel energy, and renewable energy are all included in this parameter.
    Requirements:
    
    • All energy sources are identified & targets are set for energy efficiency & conservation
    • Energy consumption is measured & recorded, timely corrective and preventive actions are taken when deviations are noted
    • Employees are trained in energy management
    • Periodic energy audits are in place
    • Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) processes are in place
13. Environment Management: The organization must ensure that it complies with regulatory standards and should have put in place appropriate systems to monitor and improve compliance.
    Requirements:
    
    • Systems are in place to identify and manage:
    • The emissions, effluent discharges and waste management regulations/norms
    • Plant, equipment and systems required to meet the discharge norms and waste management requirements
    • Monitoring system for applicable parameters are in place to check compliance to norms
    • Periodic Environmental audits are conducted
    • Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) processes are in place
14. Measurement & Analysis: The Senior management must identify and measure the important processes with the goal of improving them in order to objectively assess the performance of the organization.
    Requirements:
    
    • Processes to establish targets, measure & periodically review the following by the Senior management, are in place:
    • Defects
    • Rework
    • Rejection
    • Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ)
    • Customer Satisfaction
    • Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Corrective Action and Preventive Action (CAPA) processes are in place
15. Supply Chain Management: An organization's supply chain is essential, thus working with suppliers to enhance procedures and the capacity for producing products should be regarded as an important part of a job. The development cycle is shortened and the speed to market is increased when an organization's suppliers work closely with it. This also includes outsourced partners. An “outsourced process” is a process that the organization needs for its quality management system and which the organization chooses to have performed by an external party.
    Requirements:
    
    • Formal processes are in place for selection, evaluation & development of the vendors/suppliers and other stakeholders involved in the supply chain
    • Energy, environment and natural resource management is propagated & emphasized across the supply chain
    • Mechanism to monitor and periodically review performance of the supply chain is in place for continual improvement
16. Risk Management: Every Organization faces a number of risks that could have a negative influence on its general health. This indicator evaluates the organization's readiness to control risks and guarantee business continuity.
    Requirements:
    
    • The organization has a comprehensive Risk Management Plan based on identification of all types of risks
    • Risk assessment & mitigation measures are in place for all the identified risks
    • Risk assessment plan & mitigation measures are reviewed periodically by the Senior management
17. Waste Management (Muda, Mura, Muri): Waste is broadly defined as anything that adds to the cost of the product without adding value to it. Wastes can be broadly classified into Muda, Mura & Muri. Muda: Any activity that consumes resources without creating value for the customer. These wastes are classified into 7 types: 1. Over-production waste, 2. Processing waste, 3. Transport waste, 4. Waiting-time waste, 5. Inventory waste, 6. Motion waste and 7. Defect. The 8th Waste is unutilized talent or skill. Mura: Unevenness in an operation; for example, products produced by production to meet targets that are not required by market create an uneven work pace in an operation causing operators to hurry and then wait. Muri: Overburdening equipment or operators by requiring them to run at a higher or harder pace for a longer period of time than the equipment is designed for an appropriate workload to be performed by the operators.
    Requirements:
    
    • Waste reduction plan to address Muda (7 wastes), Mura & Muri across the organization is in place
    • Targets are established for the reduction of the identified wastes
    • Employees are trained on Muda, Muri & Mura
    • Mechanism of monitoring, measurement and periodic review to understand trends and ensure continual reduction in waste is in place
18. Technology Selection & Upgradation: Technology selection & upgradation is an important step towards sustained competitiveness. The firm will be able to generate better products, increase efficiency, and maintain its competitiveness if the Best Available Technologies (BAT), such as Internet of Things (IoT), sensors, Cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), etc., are used in a planned manner. This might also entail implementing pertinent innovations like Industry 4.0.
    Requirements:
    
    • Technology selection & upgradation is planned and reviewed proactively considering product, customer, market, regulatory & environmental requirements
    • Relevant advances like digitalization, sensors, IoT, smart machines etc. are considered while planning for selection of technology or upgradation
19. Natural Resource Conservation: There are two types of Natural Resources available to humankind - renewable resources like solar light and heat, wind, ocean waves, etc., and non-renewable or finite resources like petroleum and oil products, minerals, surface water, etc. This parameter deals with the Organization's understanding of renewable and non-renewable resources and the approach followed by it towards conservation of non-renewable natural resources and optimal use of renewable resources.
    Requirements:
    
    • System is in place for continuous review and management of natural resources including raw materials and processes to reduce/eliminate use of nonrenewable resources and maximize use of renewable resources
    • Targets are established for natural resource conservation
    • Employees are trained on natural resource conservation
    • Mechanism to periodically review the natural resource conservation targets and progress is in place
20. Corporate Social Responsibility: Through Corporate Social Responsibility, organizations integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders.
    Requirements:
    
    • Policy on Corporate Social Responsibility is in place
    • Corporate Social Responsibility Practices are clearly defined with action plans including but not limited to:
    • Organizational Governance
    • Labour Practices
    • Environment
    • Fair Operating Practices
    • Community Involvement & Development
    • Mechanism to periodically review the Corporate Social Responsibility Practices by Senior Management is in place