INTEGRATION OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (QMS) AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EMS) - A STUDY IN INDIAN AUTO COMPONENT INDUSTRY

Business organisations are implementing more than one management system, including systems for quality management, environmental management, safety and hygiene and so on. Most of these systems focus on generating competitive advantage to the organisations, and the onus is on integration of these systems to the extent possible. This research paper is based on a study on the Indian auto component industry. In the early nineties, with the entry of the multinational OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) in to the Indian market, the local component manufacturers had to gear up to deliver world class components. In the process, various management systems such as QS 9000 and ISO 14001 were implemented. This paper throws light on how the QS 9000 Quality Management System and ISO 14001 environmental system are an integrated approach for better competitiveness.