Integrated Management Systems (IMS)

We bring more than 30 years of hands-on quality leadership in automotive, aerospace, defence and technology businesses, so we design integrated systems from the operator’s side of the table. The goal is never a thicker manual. It is fewer procedures, one audit programme, one management review and a system people use because it genuinely helps them run the business.

What an integrated system gives you

With one set of processes for document control, internal audit, corrective action, competence and management review, every change is made once and every standard benefits. Leadership sees quality, environmental, safety and security performance side by side, so risks and priorities are weighed together rather than competing for attention in separate meetings.

The gains continue at certification. An accredited certification body can typically audit an integrated system in a combined visit, which can reduce the audit days you host each year and the disruption that comes with them. Assessors hear one consistent account across every standard, and when customers or primes ask for evidence of quality, environmental and security performance, you answer from one system instead of three.

Why organisations choose Hillscom

Practitioners, not theorists

We have run these systems as heads of quality and interim quality leaders, not only audited them. That experience shows in the judgement calls that make or break integration: what to merge, what to keep separate, and how to make the result work on the shop floor, in the engineering office and in the boardroom.

Built with your team

We work alongside your process owners rather than handing over a set of templates. Knowledge transfers as the system takes shape, so when the project ends you have a system your own people understand, maintain and improve with confidence.

Ready for the 2026 editions

ISO 9001:2026 and ISO 14001:2026 are now published, and their closer alignment makes integration more effective than ever. We build to the current editions using a proven integrated framework, so you start from a working base rather than a blank page. If you also face a transition, integration and transition can run as a single project, with one set of changes for your team to absorb.

Depth in demanding sectors

Integration is especially valuable where requirements are strict and customers are watching. We combine ISO 9001 with ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 for aerospace and defence organisations, and ISO 9001 with ISO 27001 for technology businesses, so each system reflects the expectations of your sector.

Faster, without cutting corners

Our AI-assisted delivery approach speeds up gap analysis, process mapping and document drafting, while every output is reviewed by experienced practitioners. You reach a working integrated system sooner, with the quality an auditor expects.

Independent advice

As an independent consultancy, we are not a certification body, so our advice is impartial. We can help you choose the right certification body and plan a combined audit programme that suits your business.

Standards we integrate

The most common pairing is ISO 9001 with ISO 14001. ISO 45001 and ISO 27001 integrate just as naturally once the core is built to be standard-agnostic, and ISO 22301, ISO 44001 and AS9100 follow the same pattern. Whatever combination you hold or are working towards, the system is designed to take the next standard without starting again.

How we integrate

Every ISO management system standard shares the Harmonized Structure: context, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation and improvement. We run these as one set of processes, which is where most of the efficiency comes from. Requirements unique to each standard, such as environmental aspects for ISO 14001, risk treatment and the Statement of Applicability for ISO 27001, and hazard identification and worker consultation for ISO 45001, are kept distinct within the integrated structure so each standard is met in full. Getting that balance right is where experience makes the difference.

Already running separate systems?

For organisations with established systems, integration is usually a consolidation rather than a rebuild. We start with a gap analysis of what is in place: near-duplicate procedures, records kept twice and audit schedules that could become one programme. That review almost always uncovers more opportunity to simplify than expected, and the merge then happens without losing anything that already works.

For new systems, we implement the structure as integrated from day one, which is simpler and more cost-effective than retrofitting later.

Start the conversation

Tell us which standards you hold or plan to achieve, and we will show you what an integrated system could look like for your organisation. Get in touch to arrange an initial discussion.