Why?
Shifting gears to meet the new demand and create a new product emphasised to the company the importance of process and employing best practice to meet high quality expectations. To encourage further growth, the company decided to achieve certification in ISO 9001, the international Standard for quality.
Bryn Jones, Operations Director, explained: “Having dealt with the different aspects of changing into the sanitiser industry, we thought it was a good time to get ISO 9001 and turn this side of the business into something that could help us grow.”
What?
For those who want to integrate quality into every aspect of their business, ISO 9001 is an ideal choice. As the international Standard for quality management, ISO 9001 creates a robust system of processes designed to improve efficiency and productivity and meet customer needs. As a result, businesses can enjoy an improved reputation and greater customer satisfaction.
How?
To satisfy the requirements of ISO 9001, the company began to document their processes more comprehensively, updating and developing a quality policy. Meetings were also minuted and online recordkeeping developed to help the businesses work through what they do and what needs improving.
Training was also given new focus thanks to the rapid switch to new products.
Once certified, Efinity Labs began to look to other new markets, such as the cosmetics sector. This led to their turnover for 2020 being estimated to growing three or fourfold from their 2019 total.
It has also given them advantages in business pitches: “The cosmetics work was broached through an intermediary and one of the questions they asked was ‘are you ISO 9001 accredited?’. We were in the process of getting it, so they worked with us and waited until we had formal accreditation,” said Bryn Jones.
As a result, the company was able to invest in more machinery, allowing them to reduce manufacturing costs and meet greater demands from other markets.
The ISO is very much working in our favour at the moment,” reported Bryn Jones. “All the new markets we are looking at will ensure that we will be busy, and we expect that our turnover will be vastly different. The ISO is something we are truly proud of.
Find out more
With a robust framework of processes to help you maintain consistent quality and customer satisfaction, ISO 9001 can also be the gateway to new business and new markets.
The Standard is internationally recognised as an indication that your business puts quality at the forefront of its operation. This could help you in the early stages of a tender or assist you in pre-qualifying for new business.
If you would like to find out more about ISO 9001, visit our dedicated web page.