We are proud of it: we have once again achieved our recertification according to the ISO quality management standard (ISO 9001:2015). In late July, Special Cargo Services had a comprehensive audit for this at its three facilities. This only confirms that we value quality and take our work and our customers very seriously.
Three-day audit
“Given this excellent result, the organization is nominated for a new three-year cycle of certification,” the audit report by LRQA (formerly Lloyd’s Register) concluded. At the end of July, we had an auditor from LRQA visit our three Special Cargo Services sites three days in a row: Schiphol, Europoort and IJmuiden. This was a comprehensive audit that takes place once every three years to renew our certification for three years. A lighter audit takes place every six months.
Customer Satisfaction
The recertification covers the “packaging, checking, documenting, storing and organizing distribution of dangerous goods,” according to LRQA’s certificate. This certificate demonstrates that we provide products and services that meet our customers’ requirements and comply with laws and regulations, and that our goal is to increase customer satisfaction. These are some of the requirements for meeting this ISO quality management standard.
“The processes assessed are controlled and effective”
Trust
The audit report puts it this way, “The samples in the audit conducted provide confidence that:
- the ISO 9001:2015 standard has been implemented sufficiently effectively
- the organization is sufficiently capable of meeting the requirements of its stakeholders incl. the requirements of relevant laws and regulations
- the organization is sufficiently capable of identifying and managing risks and contributing to achieving the organization’s objectives
- internal audit and management review processes have been implemented and minor improvements are still listed
- the processes assessed are controlled and effective.
Complying with extensive regulations
The auditor further concluded, “Overall, it is concluded that the organization is growing again after a tough period and has become a major player in a very small niche market since its inception. There is a positive atmosphere present and a high level of employee commitment. Great value is placed on complying with the, for this industry, very specific and extensive laws and regulations.” We are proud and satisfied that we have passed this rather strict audit so well. For us, it just reaffirms what we stand for and continue to stand for as an organization: commitment, safety and quality.
