In the past few years, industry groups have developed sector specific applications of the ISO 9001 standard. These include the automotive, aerospace, environmental, telecommunications, health and safety, etc. All these sector‐specific standards incorporate the full requirements of ISO 9001 as their foundation and then add new requirements or amplify ISO requirements. 

ISO 9000 quality management standards have been around for over 30 years. Nearly a million organizations have been certified to one or more of the various ISO published business management standards. Many studies have been conducted on the impact of these standards on industry and the overall feedback on how it has helped companies is summarized below:

External

• Improves customer confidence and satisfaction in an organization's QMS capability and consistency in meeting requirements.

• Improves conformity to quality requirements

• Increases competitive edge and market share

• Increasingly recognized as a requirement for contractual relationships in the global

arena.