The Importance of Regulatory Compliance in a Manufacturing Setting

There are numerous factors that lead to regulatory compliance, including: reputation, image, ethics, competition, and survival. Regulatory is often looked at as the “show-stopper” or obstacle in many manufacturing processes. While regulatory may sometimes be perceived as negative, it can also be the main key to a company’s success.

Regulatory compliance is an organization’s adherence to laws, regulations, guidelines and specifications relevant to its business. These laws can be either domestic or international and cover a vast area of compliance issues. Violations of regulatory compliance regulations often result in legal punishment, such as costly federal fines or product withdrawal from the market. In addition to the fines that a company might incur, these violations can result in catastrophic accidents or substantial property loss. Complying with regulatory standards ensures product safety and protects the equipment, property, humans and animals that make up the product environment.

Regulatory compliance is a broad administration. Although often considered with the functionality of equipment, regulatory compliance exists in all areas of manufacturing. It is uniquely modified for each industry, company and department within a company, covering areas such as: business systems, IT, environmental legislation, health and safety and other aspects of business and commerce. The term may include any officially sanctioned laws or edits covering a country, area of origin, or territory into which goods or services may be sold or used. Quality systems are now an important part of many businesses, and it is increasingly likely for customers to prefer to do business with companies that have an accredited quality system. This is where internationally-recognized standards such as ISO 9000 come into play. The total numbers of companies that don’t operate in this realm are dwindling.

Regulatory compliance is its own entity. It is a legal obstacle course that requires a professional to navigate safely. Many standards that need to be put into place and maintained are expensive and complex, and require skilled individuals to implement them. With the necessary legislation in place and functioning, manufacturing companies are able to operate and deliver safe products worldwide.