Mercury Marine is the first marine-engine manufacturer to be fully ISO 9001:2000 registered.

ISO is the common term used for the International Organization for Standardization, which is located in Geneva, Switzerland. Under ISO jurisdiction, process standards were developed by a multinational committee for universal use in both manufacturing and service organizations.

ISO registration essentially means Mercury has developed a sound, systematic approach to business, and that processes are in place to ensure quality is "built in" to every product and service.

"Earning this recognition is evidence that the entire Mercury team is pulling in the same direction, the direction of continually improving the quality of the boating experience for our valuable customers," said Tony Rudd, Mercury's vice president of quality.

ISO 9001 originated in Europe, with a set of quality standards developed in the United Kingdom. In the mid-1980s, in response to the then-new "European Community,” those standards were modified by an ISO-sanctioned international group known as Technical Committee 176. They were subsequently adopted as the ISO 9000 series in 1987. Their original purpose (since wildly expanded) was to provide a common model for quality that would be recognized in all EC countries and reduce the need for inspections and tariffs on products traveling between countries in the EC. The standards were modified in 1994 and most recently in 2000.

Mercury Marine's Fond du Lac, Wis., manufacturing and administrative facilities were registered June 27, 2003, joining other Mercury facilities in the U.S., Mexico, Europe and Australia Pacific that already had acquired ISO status. All of Mercury's outboard and sterndrive facilities have achieved ISO 9001 registration, as well as Mercury Racing and MotorGuide (a Mercury-owned manufacturer of electric trolling motors).

Mercury utilized DNV (Det Norske Veritas) Certification, an internationally accredited and recognized authority, as its registrar to confirm that ISO requirements have been met.

ISO 9001 is a structured concept of organizing and operating all the processes that comprise the design, production, delivery and service of products. The ISO standard is internationally recognized. Organizations that meet the standards have demonstrated they have processes in place to achieve consistency, quality and customer satisfaction. In that sense, it is a good role model for any company to follow.

The ISO 9001:2000 process is built upon eight principles:
1. Customer Focus - efforts designed to improve the customers' experience.
2. Leadership - involvement and engagement from the top of the organization.
3. Involvement of People - quality involves all departments.
4. Process Approach - determining the sequencing of activities and documenting them.
5. Systems Approach to Management - accumulation of organized processes forms the system.
6. Continual Improvement - always striving to improve.
7. Factual Approach to Decision Making - use factual data for decision making.
8. Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationships - create an environment that allows the supplier/partners to succeed.

Mercury Marine began pursuit of ISO 9001 registration in late 2001. That effort was designed to improve processes and achieve consistency, which ultimately leads to higher levels of quality and a more satisfying customer experience.