As most of you will be aware, Sale Engineering Products already has ISO9001:2008 accreditation – something which we are proud is tested and renewed annually by TUV UK Ltd*. In conjunction with TUV, we aim to transition to the 2015 version of ISO9001 accreditation as soon as possible.
ISO9001 has already helped us more readily document our processes, internal checks and quality metrics, as well as manage change & development and keep track of our products and any problems with them (though very few and far between, we can assure you). The systems have helped benefit our customers by enabling us to more easily address common questions such as those regarding old orders placed, the set-up of products which have been in situ for some time, exactly which spares may be required etc.
The new standard brings a higher-level structured approach with more flexibility to adapt to the specifics of our company and our customers’ likely needs, a more balanced risk-based approach to quality, and also emphasises the consideration, monitoring and measurement of processes to compare to set standards.
Obviously, SEP will have to put some time and effort into achieving the new accreditation, but we continue to be committed to the same – indeed better – quality objectives that have helped to make us a well-known and reliable name within our industry.
We look forward to this challenge just as much as all the others we have set ourselves for 2016!
*TÜV UK Limited is a UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) accredited certification body that offers independent third-party assessments mainly in the UK and Ireland, of management systems, against different standards.