Sterling Defence, established in 2008, is a NATO registered organisation based in Hampshire, England that provides ‘cost-effective, timely and quality driven’ services and equipment to security and military forces across the globe. Being a respected company that works with organisations from all across the world, we helped Sterling Defence to achieve ISO 9001:2015 accreditation. This has resulted in the implementation and practise of a quality management system (QMS) that allows them to improve a range of functions across their business, as well as looking much more attractive to potential customers and clients looking to use their products and services.
As it’s been some time since Sterling Defence applied their QMS, they recently had a surveillance audit to ensure that the measures and processes that we helped them put in place were being adhered to and practised effectively. We are very proud to announce that Sterling Defence passed their audit with zero non-conformances. This has resulted in them being recommended for on-going certification – great news!
This is just another step in our on-going relationship with Sterling Defence, which will hopefully have many more in the coming years with their annual audits.
If you require any assistance with a quality management system or with achieving ISO 9001 certification, please do not hesitate to contact NPT Management Systems today.
A number of businesses within various industries use ISO certification as a recognised method of producing and delivering control of quality products and services and customer service. ISO accreditation not only provides improvements and quality to processes and methods but is often recognised as a mark of uniformity of both products and services across countries, languages and cultures. Therefore, by a business obtaining ISO certification, it is seen as a huge positive in terms of reputation and image, as well as in terms of practicality. Some businesses, however, may benefit more than others from the implementation of ISO practices, such as manufacturing companies.
How ISO Certification Helps Manufacturing Companies
Specific clauses within ISO certifications, such as ISO 9001, outline guidelines and processes on the way a business should carry out certain practices. These help manufacturing companies to improve crucial areas of their business, such as;
- Standard of Product - As mentioned, ISO certification addresses the issue of product quality. By implementing specific processes, product definition can be accurately prescribed to ensure that each product is consistently manufactured to a consistent level of standard.
- Corrective Action Processes – Section 10.2 of ISO 9001 concerns itself with ‘nonconformity and corrective action.’ To prevent nonconformity is of utmost importance, but if an incident was ever to occur then displaying corrective measures and ensuring that it doesn’t get repeated is vital to any quality management system, as well as an exceptional way to develop trust between business and customer.
- Quality Tollgates – An integral part of many sections of ISO 9001, there are many instances where the application of evaluation and measurement is necessary to create a ‘tollgate’ on product quality. The enables manufacturing companies to gain data and knowledge to be able to drive continuous improvement needed by all organisations.
- Knowledgeable and Motivated Employees – With the implementation of ISO practices, issues such as ‘awareness’, ‘competence’ and ‘organisational knowledge’ are covered which enable members of staff within a manufacturing company to perform to a high standard in producing products and services. As well as being highly competent, with ISO certification, manufacturing businesses will put into place strict and clear training processes, roles and the ability to show accountability of management. All of which will lead to a more satisfied and motivated workforce.
These are just a few of many elements that enable manufacturing companies to perform more effectively with ISO certification. If you require advice on ISO accreditation, please do not hesitate to contact NPT Management Systems today.
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Based in Southampton, Explosive Risk Managment Ltd provide a range of expert services to the defence, security and policing sectors. Some time ago, we at NPT Management Systems helped ERM to implement an effective quality management system (QMS) that was specifically tailored to the company's needs and processes; we then helped the company to achieve ISO 9001 certification with zero non-conformances.
We were recently asked to work with Explosive Risk Management again, since they were looking to make the transition to ISO 9001:2015 (the latest version of the international quality management standard). After much preparation and hard work, we are very pleased to announce that ERM have successfully migrated their QMS to the latest ISO standard, ensuring the continued quality of their services for years to come.
Here's what ERM's Managing Director Simon de Gruchy had to say about the service we provided:
"Neil from NPT initially provided advice and assisted in the development of our first QMS to allow us to gain ISO 9001 certification. This system served the company so well that we were able to make changes ourselves as the business evolved, maintaining our certification on annual audits.
"Recently, we engaged NPT again as we were required to transition to the new ISO 9001 standard. Neil worked with the company at short notice and on evenings/weekends to ensure that we were ready, and he worked around our existing workload and busy schedule.
"Because of this dedication and client commitment, I unhesitatingly recommend NPT Management Systems to any organisation requiring either transition services or a complete ISO system for first-time certification."
If you're based in the South of England and your organisation needs help with ISO 9001 certification, please don't hesitate to contact NPT Management Systems today.
In order to achieve ISO 9001 certification (or any other ISO accreditation), an organisation must:
- Implement a management system that meets ISO standards.
- Obtain approval from a UKAS-accredited certification body.
We at NPT Management Systems can help you to take care of step 1, but what about the second part?
Choosing your certification body
There are numerous UKAS-accredited certification bodies in the UK, all of whom are qualified to evaluate management systems and award ISO certification where it has been earned. Some ISO certification bodies specialise in certain industries/sectors - such as agriculture, food, or construction - while others provide a more general certification service for British businesses and organisations. Once your ISO-compliant management system is in place, you can seek certification from whichever body is best-suited to your company.
And that's another thing we at NPT can help with - we have close working relationships with a number of ISO certification bodies, and we provide the following service FOR FREE:
- Contact us to explain your certification requirements.
- We will gather quotes from a variety of UKAS-accredited certification bodies.
- We'll pass the best quotation(s) to you, leaving you to decide whether or not to go ahead with the certification process.
This service is completely free - email enquiries@nptmanagementsystems.co.uk today to get the ball rolling!
ISO certification - whether we're talking about ISO 9001, ISO 14001, or another such standard - doesn't come for free. In order to state that your business is 'ISO certified', not only do you have to dedicate resources to planning and implementing a compliant management system - you also have to pay to get verified by a UKAS-accredited certification body.
But cost varies from one certification body to the next!
When seeking ISO certification, it's important to bear in mind that there is no fixed rate for the service you require. The exact cost of getting certified depends largely on which certification body you use - believe it or not, some are significantly cheaper than others!
How we can help
Here at NPT Management Systems, we have connections to - and close working relationships with - a large number of UKAS-accredited bodies who specialise in ISO certification. We can match any business with a certification body that will offer them optimum value for money, so if you want to save money on your ISO certification costs, here's what to do:
- Email enquiries@nptmanagementsystems.co.uk - let us know the best way to contact you, and we'll respond ASAP to discuss your requirements.
- We will gather quotes from a variety of UKAS-accredited bodies to find out who can offer you the best service at the lowest price.
- We will then share our recommendation with you - whether or not you follow our advice is entirely up to you!
This service is completely FREE, so what is there to lose? Get in touch today and find out how much you could save on your ISO certification costs!
