TL 9000
TL 9000 is a quality management practice designed by the QuEST Forum in 1998. It was created to focus on supply chain directives throughout the international telecommunications industry, including the USA. As with ISO/TS 16949 for the automotive industry and TL9000 for the aerospace industry, TL 9000 specializes the generic ISO 9001 to meet the needs of one industrial sector, which for TL 9000 is the information and communications technology (ICT)—extending from service providers through ICT equipment manufacturers through the suppliers and contractors and subcontractors that provide electronic components and software components to those ICT equipment manufacturers. the TL 9000 Quality Management System requires an organization to engage in continual improvement of products, services or processes. TL 9000 is both a quality management and measurement system comprised of two parts.
The TL 9000 quality management system is applied by telecom manufacturers and suppliers engaged in the design, development, production, delivery, installation, and maintenance of telecommunications products and services. TL9000 is a company level certification based on the TL9000 Quality Management System Handbook developed by Quest Forum. The TL9000 Quality System Management Handbook includes all of ISO9001 but designed specifically for the communications industry, including requirements for design, development, production, delivery and service as they relate specifically to the communications industry.