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 of you asking 

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

everyone 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:

1.) Made to the specificationsset in the design for manufacture (DFM) document;     

2.) Able to undertake its intended role without failing in a reasonable period of time;

3.) Safe for use in its operating environment;

4.) 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 NICERapid, 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.