Quality, Quality, Quality!

Quality is a word that is easy to say but unfortunately not so easy to ensure and never is that more the case than in the manufacturing business. There are just so many aspects to get right all at the same time, that it is sometimes amazing that products are produced at all! Add into that the fact that many of these products are being designed in Europe or the USA and then manufactured in China and you have a huge range of variables that need to be overcome to ensure a successful project.

That being the case, how do you know whether the company that you are hoping to use for your production will be both on your wavelength and able to stand up to the scrutiny of your customers and national enforcement bodies? Simple! Check them out! Ask questions! Go and visit! All of these small, but important, aspects will ensure that the company you are dealing with is both legitimate and unafraid questions about its production methods and processes. We love people coming to see us and our brand new factory; that is what business is all about!

How do we know what "quality"means in relation to both ourselves and our customers? Well, even though ryone uses the term quality, it is obviously the case that we all have a different idea as to exactly what quality means in relation to us as a company or you as an individual. However, in general, a quality product will be one that is:

• Made to the specificationsset in the design for manufacture (DFM) document;
• Able to undertake its intended role without failing in a reasonable period of time;
• Safe for use in its operating environment;
• Produced in an environmentally friendly way at the best possible price;

From our discussions with our customers and engineering teams, the above points are ones that we should all reasonably expect when manufacturing products, but what about our own duty of care as a manufacturer? We think that it is important to tell the customer if their design can be improved to match these considerations, as some of the above may not be immediately apparent in some original designs submitted to us. This is our jobs as experts and we hope that in doing so, we will not only make your design and final product even better, but that you will also see we can be trusted to produce the best, every time, without fail!

Please contact us today to ensure your next project is as good as it can be!

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ISO 9001:2015 Certification on the Horizon!

Yes, that’s right, we are hopefully going to achieve the heady heights of ISO certification this year, in order to ensure we are doing the best we can for our customers and our staff! The Boss, Steven, has decided that we are more than worth it, so, we thought it would be nice to fill you in on some details about the certification and what that will mean in practice.

What is ISO certification?

International Standards Organisation or ISO certification as it is better known, comes in many shapes and sizes and there are some accreditations which are suitable for some businesses and not others. ISO, based in Geneva, is the main standards organisations recognised worldwide and has general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

The main categories of certification are the following:

ISO 9001: This is a Quality Management System and one of the most recognised and popular management systems internationally. It contains minimum standards for quality and customer satisfaction and ensures customers are being treated correctly and know what they should be able to expect from an ISO 9001 accredited firm.

ISO 14001: This is an Environmental Management standard and is one of the more recent additions to the accreditation framework. Companies are now very much more aware of their environmental impact and ISO 14001 is a benchmark of such awareness and implementation of environmental management.

SA 8000: This is a Social Responsibility certification, which is quite stringent and wide reaching. It evaluates the company on various different aspects including child and forced labour, health and safety, freedom of association, discrimination, disciplinary practices, working hours and remuneration. Companies that achieve this standard should adhere to all applicable local and international laws in relation to the above categories.

OHSAS 18001: This is an Occupational Safety certification that is based on British Standards. It ensures that the correct occupational and staff safety guidelines are being followed, allowing staff and customers to work and do business in a safe workplace. It aims to aid legal compliance and increase overall performance of health and safety issues throughout the company, not just on the factory floor.

UCC: As a third-party certification body, Universal Certification Centre Co., Ltd. (UCC for short) boasts as one of the main drafting units for GB/T19001: 2000/2008 standard. With the accreditation by CNAS(QMS/EMS/OHSMS/HACCP/ FSMS/ TL9000/ EnMS/ QJ), UKAS(QMS), and membership with the International Mutual Recognition System, certificates issued by UCC are mutually recognized in more than 30 countries such as the United States, Germany, France, Britain, Canada, Japan, Australia, Korea and so on.

At NICE Rapid, we are committed to ensuring that we are at the forefront of both technological and environmental change and, as a consequence of this, we will not be resting on our laurels. ISO 9001:2015 is just the beginning and we hope to go from strength to strength from the start of our certification journey.

We already have a stringent quality control management plan in place and we are confident that we can meet the customer service standards that you deserve and that the ISO desire.

We would welcome your comments and suggestions on how we can improve any aspect of our service or manufacturing process, as well as any individual feedback on which certifications are important to you and your customers.

We want to lead by example and hope that by listening to your views and becoming internationally certified in relation to quality and customer service management we have shown us to be different from our competitors.