Blog and news
ISO 14001 Environmental Certification for Nviron
9 January 2025
Jon Ewing of Nviron Ltd
Jon Ewing, a Project Manager at Nviron, has got the new year off to a good start by achieving ISO 14001 environmental Certification for Nviron.
This was Jon's second appearance on this webpage in as many weeks as Nviron's ISO certifications have all happened at the same time. Despite being fairly new to management systems and ISO certifications, Jon rose brilliantly to the challenge. The audit process was made easier and smoother by keeping records in an organised manner.
Nviron now hold three ISO certificates; ISO 9001 Quality, ISO 14001 Environmental and ISO 27001 Information Security.
Nviron are IT experts who supply computer equipment and know-how. Their business mantra is 50-500-50, that is customers with between 50 and 500 staff within 50 miles of their base in Cheshire. Nviron supply to all kinds of businesses from commercial to government and schools.
Standards Plus has provided management consultancy advice to Nviron on their ISO certifications for 4 years, so thank you for your business.
2024 - a record year
22 December 2024
2024 was a record year for Standards Plus, helping 10 businesses achieve 22 certifications.
We used to say that we ticked-along nicely getting one certificate (for our customers) every 6 weeks, but now it looks more like one per fortnight...! Maybe our current customers all "certified" at the same time.
Seven customers were "repeat-buy", two were referrals from satisfied customers and one was a new customer. Guess that says Standard Plus has successful long-term relationships with its customers.
Nowadays most businesses do more than one standard, which is just how we like it. There are "economies of scale" with multiple certifications, we just need one system for those common elements of a management system, such as document control, non-cons and training records.
Back in 2001 Standards Plus was one of the first businesses in the UK (and possibly worldwide) to be certified for three management standards as an integrated system. Back then combined certification was new and we were keen to promote the benefits of integration. We had magazine articles published and presented at international conferences on our favourite subject.
Thank you to all of our customers.
Quality and Information Security Certification for Nviron
21 December 2024
Jon Ewing of Nviron Ltd
Jon Ewing, a Project Manager at Nviron, was ever-so pleased to pass two audits at the same time.
Jon stood-in at short notice, covering for absence, and did an excellent job. He said "Standards Plus have provided an indispensable service to Nviron in helping us to achieve our ISO certification goals. Ollie is passionate about his work and we view him as part of our team. Thanks for your expert support!"
As a newcomer to ISO certifications Jon was very calm throughout the audit process. We had two audits on the same day and he managed to run two meetings at the same time - a remote-video-call and on-site-in-person...! Thanks also to Tom Wall, IT Services Manager, who also stepped at the last minute and provided all of the evidence required for Information Security.
Nviron hold two ISO certificates, ISO 9001 Quality and ISO 27001 Information Security. They are currently working on ISO 14001 Environmental certification.
Nviron are IT experts who supply computer equipment and know-how. Their business mantra is 50-500-50, that is customers with between 50 and 500 staff within 50 miles of their base in Cheshire. Nviron supply to all kinds of businesses from commercial to government and schools.
The audit process was made easier and smoother by using MS SharePoint and MS Forms - which meant presenting evidence to the auditor was straightforward. A significant aide for Information Security was the use of their service desk ticket system for keeping track of all recurring IT tasks, such as backups and antivirus scanning.
Standards Plus has provided management consultancy advice to Nviron on their ISO certifications for 3 years, so thank you for your business.
Christmas comes early for M&CT
17 December 2024
Dean Baker of M&CT Ltd
Dean Baker, Managing Director of M&CT, was delighted to pass another ISO 9001 audit and said "It was a good audit and thank you for your help".
M&CT is a manufacturer and they supply the "magic sparkle" the converts ordinary materials into fire retardant materials. Those fire retardant materials can then be used in many types of products such as paint, fabric and plastics.
As well as being the Managing Director, Dean is also an expert at setting up MS Dynamics, which is an enterprise-level software system. In a short space of time M&CT moved from "paper and pen" to "software and smart-pen". Despite having just a few employees, M&CT benefit from big company IT systems, which means that everybody knows what is happening (=no excuses...!)
M&CT's ISO management system is based on MS SharePoint, so documents are easily accessible, which makes passing an ISO audit very efficient.
Standards Plus provided one day of consulting this year on internal audits and a management review, so good value for M&CT.
Standards Plus has provided management consultancy advice to M&CT on their ISO certifications for 24 years, so thank you for your business.
Two ISO standards after just 1 day of consulting - amazing...!
13 December 2024
One of our customers has achieved two ISO standards after just one day of consulting from Standards Plus. The boss said "Your support and insight has definitely set us on the right path".
They passed both ISO 9001 Quality and ISO 27001 Information Security certifications at the same time. This was their first attempt, so well done to them.
They are a group of companies that provide logistical and commercial services in the UK and worldwide for companies of all sizes. In reality they provide warehousing and order fulfilment on behalf of third parties, such as sending medical devices to hospitals and lampshades to consumers. They wish to remain anonymous until their receive their ISO certificates.
Their Managing Director and ISO-champion was very receptive to our way of working and readily adopted our Document Index, the use of on-line forms and our way of organising records. The benefit to the customer was quick, low-cost and effective consultancy. We are very pleased for them.
Standards Plus provided management consultancy advice on their ISO certifications.
Another successful ISO audit
4 September 2024
Rachel Maxwell of Crest Medical
Rachel Maxwell of Crest Medical Ltd said "Great, another one done...!" when she and the team passed a combined audit for ISO 9001 Quality and ISO 22716 Good Manufacturing Practice.
The team at Crest Medical have become proficient at hosting external auditors, always presenting well, and she added "It's much easier when we have a good system, so thank you Standards Plus."
Standards Plus supports the manufacturing section of Crest Medical and they manufacture wet wipes for the healthcare industry and retail.
A member of staff with 40 years experience made the comment "Record keeping is easy, really easy" - in response to an on-line form for new product development. Under our guidance, Rachel created an on-line form which solved the forever-problem of "pass the paper".
So that's just one more example of how Standards Plus is "adding productivity to business standards".
Standards Plus has provided management consultancy advice to Crest Medical on their ISO certifications for a year. Thank you for your business.
"Golden performance" by Chiorino
9 August 2024
Richard Fletcher, Carl Johnson and Phil Biggin
Phil Biggin (Managing Director of Chiorino UK) was delighted to pass three ISO audits at the same time, and as it's Olympic week he said it was a "Golden performance - thanks to Standards Plus".
It was a team effort with Carl Johnson (Vice President of Chiorino UK) demonstrating his skills at navigating his way through the Document Index and Richard Fletcher (Operations Manager) presenting all the records. There were plenty of light-hearted moments during the audit and some seriously funny ones - mostly at Ollie's expense...! Phil added "It was good to have a laugh through what could have been a few miserable days ...!"
Chiorino make all different types of conveyor belts and they are used in food factories, airports and gyms. Chiorino will also install a belt for a customer at their premises. Conveyor belts are good for productivity because they move materials and products without needing any labour - which is faster, safer and more reliable.
Chiorino holds three ISO certifications - ISO 9001 for Quality, ISO 14001 for Environmental and ISO 45001 for Health and Safety. Their management system is fully integrated with one Document Index for all the policies, processes and records.
Standards Plus has provided management consultancy advice to Chiorino on their ISO certification for 12 years. Thank you for your business.
"Gold medal performance" by Vista Cladding
31 July 2024
Conor Divilly, Project Designer
Conor Divilly achieved a "Gold Medal Performance" with no non-conformances at his ISO 9001 Quality audit. Just like the top athletes at the Paris Olympics 2024, Conor scored "top marks" at the first attempt for quality system certification.
Conor is great to work with and he was very receptive to efficient and productive ways of working. Under our guidance he created on-line forms (accessed by scanning a QR code) that were easy to use and met all of the requirements of the ISO standard.
Vista Cladding is part of the FK Group of companies and they provide business support to Vista. Their cladding system requires "type-approval" by a test laboratory and the quality system ensures that all subsequent installations are the same as the approved product - with only minor variations for length and width.
Cladding is the water-proofing and insulation that is placed around buildings to improve their appearance and thermal performance. Vista's cladding is made of steel and rockwool, unlike the type of cladding used on the Grenfell Tower (which burnt down), so it has excellent fire resistance. That's good news for the building owners and occupiers.
Conor said "We couldn't have done this without you, Ollie, thanks."
Standards Plus provided management consultancy advice to Vista on ISO 9001 certification and this project was completed in less than 6 months. Thank you for your business.
Viscan passes FSC audit
23 July 2024
Chloe Martin and Yvonne Lawrence from Visican
Chloe Martin, Office Administrator, was very pleased to pass her first FSC audit. Chloe is the "Queen of FSC" at Visican and keeps everything and everybody in order. Well done Chloe....!
Yvonne Lawrence, Joint Managing Director, had a supporting roles (for a change) encouraging Chloe at every step.
FSC certification is about maintaining the "chain of custody" of ownership of timber-based products from the forest, or recycler, to the final product. So for Visican this means the card material used to make their tubes comes from a known source, usually recycled paper and card. So when you segregate paper and card for recycling, some of it may end up in one of Visican's tubes.
Visican make cardboard tubes used by the food industry as packaging. So when you buy some fancy biscuits in a nice looking pack, the packaging may well be supplied by Visican.
Standards Plus provides management consultancy advice to Visican on BRC Quality and FSC and has done so for about 30 years...! Thank you for your business.
Crest Medical achieves "Module D" quality for PPE
5 June 2024
Rachel Maxwell with Brogan Lane
Rachel Maxwell of Crest Medical was "beaming with delight" at achieving their sixth certification in just nine months.
The latest certification was for "Module D", which is the quality standard for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Perhaps we can explain...
PPE requires "type approval", that is, a laboratory conducts tests on the product. So imagine the tests are carried out on a product identified as "serial number 0001" and when it passes this is called "type approval", or we could say "proto-type approval". A Module D assessment is to confirm that "serial number 0002" and "serial number 0003" and so on, are the same as the approved product.
A Module D assessment could also be called "factory production control", or "internal quality control" and is very similar to an ISO 9001 quality audit. This concept also applies to construction products, vehicles, chain saws and many more products. The lab tests are performance tests, such as spray resistance, impact resistance or wear resistance.
Crest Medical manufacture high performance PPE coverall suits, as pictured above, that will protect the wearer from a hazardous environment, such as radiation, biological contamination and airborne infections. So they are handy in a nuclear power station, waste water treatment plant or hospital.
Rachel Maxwell heads up the Quality Team at Crest Medical and Brogan Lane is the Category Manager, which means she looks after the PPE.
Rachel added "Another audit successfully completed - this time our Module D with SATRA. A big thank you to Ollie for his support. The Doc Index serves its' purpose once again!"
Standards Plus has consulted with Crest Medical and together we have achieved six standards in nine months. Thank you for your business.
Airedale achieve grade "AA" for three years running
24 May 2024
Richard Ward, Tracey McKenna and Ben Bartlett-Wadsworth
For three years in a row Airedale Food and Beverage has scored grade "AA" at their BRC audit and Ben Bartlett-Wadsworth, General Manager, is absolutely delighted.
Airedale FAB is part of the Airedale Group / Airedale Chemical company and they supply ingredients to food and beverage manufacturers. So if you've enjoyed a long and cool cider on a summer evening along with a packet of crisps, then you've probably consumed some of their ingredients...! The Airedale Group supply a wide range of chemicals to a wide range of industries.
The BRC standard is an "advanced" standard and with a strong emphasis on food safety, legality, authenticity and quality. Airedale FAB hold the Agents and Brokers (A&B) variation of the standard. Unlike other standards the BRC standards have a grading system and this is the highest grade achievable for A&B.
So in shorthand the headline almost looks like a secret code: "Airedale FAB, BRC A&B, AA, x3" ...!
Ben said "The Document Index provided by Standards Plus makes it much easier to pass the external audit. Ollie encouraged us to create our own on-line forms and that helped a lot too,. Thank you."
Standards Plus has consulted with, and worked with, different parts of the Airedale groups for over 10 years and have helped two divisions achieve their BRC quality standards. Thank you for your business.
Connexus passes ISO 27001 Information Security audit
16 February 2024
Mark Reddy and Glenn Wilson of Connexus
Mark Reddy, IT Director of Connexus, was pleased to pass the ISO 27001 Information Security audit. Mark is responsible for all the IT at the group, and is always keen to add more and better layers of security to the companies data and information. Mark looks after all the technical aspects of IT and manages the IT team.
Glenn Wilson, Group Compliance Officer at Connexus, is the "ISO Champion" and is responsible for the behavioural aspects of information security. It's quite a challenge getting 220 staff across 20 business units over 5 sites to follow the "house-rules".
Connexus provide a range of professional services aimed mainly at high-net-worth individuals.
Standards Plus has worked with Connexus Group for 7 years helping them achieve and maintain their ISO certifications. Thank you for your business.
Visican is graded as "AA+" at a "surprise audit"
2 February 2024
Viscan products
Yvonne Lawrence, joint Managing Director of Visican, called Standards Plus early on 1st February and said just two words "He's here...!"
The long-awaited "surprise audit" was about to begin. It's a bit like when a retailer employs a mystery shopper who visits shops unannounced and tries to catch-out the staff. But there's no catching-out Visican as they scored the top grade of AA+ at their BRC Packaging audit.
This surprise, and pleasure, occurs every three years with the BRC quality scheme. This keeps businesses on their toes and and ready for an audit - as if some businesses would "put on a show" for their auditor...! The team at Visican were on standby and ready to spring into action. Standards Plus was able to provide a mixture of telephone support and video-call support for the 2-day audit.
Visican makes cardboard tubes used as promotional material for retailers.
Standards Plus has provided consultancy and support to Visican for 30 years, so thank you for your business.
Arctic Hayes certified to ISO 14001 Environmental Standard
30 January 2024
Mark Chapman, Operations Manager at Arctic Hayes
Mark Chapman, Operations Manager was proud that Arctic Hayes, have been certified to ISO 14001 Environmental Management. Mark stood-in at the last minute and was pleased that the management system was robust and easy to navigate.
Arctic Hayes supply all the tools that a plumber would need in his/her tool box, such as cutters, clamps and consumables. They sell to some of the big brand names in the construction trade, such as Screwfix, Toolstation and Travis Perkins.
One of their flagship products is a pipe-freezing kit which avoids the need to drain a central heating system during maintenance work. Just pop a jacket around the pipe and squirt some special fluid into the jacket to stop the flow of water inside the pipe. Quick, easy and effective...!
Mark added: "Exceptional Accreditation Support from Ollie Shaw at Standards Plus!
I am delighted to share my 5-star testimonial for Ollie Shaw at Standards Plus, who has played a pivotal role in helping Arctic Hayes achieve ISO14001 accreditation. As the Operations Manager at Arctic Hayes, I can confidently attest to the outstanding work and tireless dedication that Ollie has demonstrated throughout this accreditation process.
From the outset, Ollie impressed us with his in-depth knowledge of environmental standards and regulations. His expertise and guidance were instrumental in navigating the complexities of ISO14001, ensuring that Arctic Hayes not only met but exceeded the necessary requirements. Ollie's commitment to excellence was evident in every step of the accreditation journey.
What truly sets Ollie apart is his tireless attitude and unwavering dedication to our cause. Regardless of the challenges we faced, Ollie remained focused, proactive, and demonstrated an impressive ability to find innovative solutions. His determination to see Arctic Hayes through the accreditation process was truly second to none.
Ollie's professionalism, attention to detail, and effective communication skills made the entire process seamless and efficient. He consistently went above and beyond, providing valuable insights and proactive support that exceeded our expectations. Ollie Shaw is not just a consultant; he is a true partner committed to the success of his clients.
Thanks to Ollie's exceptional efforts, Arctic Hayes now proudly holds ISO14001 accreditation. I wholeheartedly recommend Ollie Shaw and Standards Plus to any organisation seeking accreditation services. Their expertise, dedication, and results-driven approach make them an invaluable asset in achieving and exceeding environmental standards."
Standards Plus worked with Arctic Hayes for 10 months setting up a new Environmental Management system and updating/upgrading their existing Quality Management system. Arctic Hayes were a pleasure to work with - thorough and professional, so thank you.
Thank you for your business.
Crest Medical achieves Quality and GMP certificates in record-breaking time
24 January 2024
Abbey Lockett, Rachel Maxwell and Claire Deakin - the Quality Team at Crest Medical
Hot on the heels of last week's success, the Quality Team at Crest Medical were delighted to be awarded two ISO certificates on the same day...! Crest have been certified to ISO 9001 Quality and ISO 22176 Good Manufacturing Practice.
"We couldn't do it without you, Ollie" was Rachel's comment after a three day audit. "Thanks again for you help over the past few weeks! We did it and I truly mean it when I say you have been our guiding star!"
Crest Medical is part of a group that supplies pharmaceuticals, medical devices and consumables to the healthcare industry, and is a major supplier to the NHS. Crest Medical recently acquired a local manufacturing business that makes wet wipes and PPE, which is a really good fit with their existing product range and customer profile.
Rachel added: “If you are looking for a consultant with experience across various standards, a can do attitude, then look no further than Ollie at Standards Plus Ltd. We have been working with Ollie since September 2023 and he has guided us very professionally through 3 new standards, all with fantastic audit outcomes. Ollie worked well independently as well as part of the Quality Team and the wider warehouse and production team. He is full of great ideas. We have now engaged Ollie to complete a series of training videos! I cannot recommend Ollie’s services highly enough”.
Thank you for your business.
Crest Medical achieves GOTS, COSMOS and Organic certification
18 January 2024
Abbey Lockett, Rachel Maxwell and Claire Deakin - the Quality Team at Crest Medical
Crest Medical has been awarded three certificates on the same day...! And the certificates are:
- GOTS - the Global Organic Textile Standard
- COSMOS - the standard for organic cosmetics, and
- The health and beauty organic standard
Theses three standards are about being able to substantiate the "organic credibility" of organic products. There needs to be a "unbroken chain of custody" (=ownership) from the source, such as the farmer-in-the-field who grows the cotton, through to the retailer who sells the product. And in the middle is Crest Medical who make and pack the products.
Products often have a logo on the pack showing their organic credentials, which is appealing to responsible customers.
These three standards also cover the ethical employment practices of the business, such as having a safe place to work and paying staff on time. Naturally, Crest Medical sailed through this audit.
Standards Plus set up the document system and the on-line record-keeping to achieve these certifications.
Thank you for your business.
Digilog passes ISO 9001 audit
7 November 2023
Andy McGeown and Charlie Emsley
Andy and Charlie were delighted to pass their second external audit for ISO 9001 Quality.
Digilog has a software product that detects changes in speech, especially when the spoken word deviates from the truth...! Apparently people tend to change the rhythm, pace and choice of words when, shall we saw, they are under pressure...! This has significant benefits when used to detect fraud, such as bogus insurance claims and financial mismanagement.
Our consultancy and support during external audit was carried out on-line by video call - which is great for the environment (=no travel).
Standards Plus helped set up Digilog's initial quality system in 2021 and has provided support to them since then. Thank you for your business.
Visican achieves FSC Chain of Custody certification
4 August 2023
Yvonne Lawrence (Joint MD) and Chloe Martin (Adminstrator)
Visican were delighted to achieved the FSC Chain of Custody certification.
The FSC logo is easily recognised and is a worldwide brand run by Forest Stewardship Council. It concerns forest-based products, so that means trees, wood, cork, bark and all down-stream products - or as we call it "timber and truffles".
The Chain of Custody is all about the traceability of ownership of forest-based materials. The timber originates from managed and sustainable forests, so that means there is a traceable and unbroken line of material ownership from the forest to the final product.
The FSC CofC scheme enables consumers to make an informed decision based on where the materials have come from. So, products made from "illegal logging" become difficult to sell.
Visican makes promotional packaging in the form of a cardboard tube. Their cardboard is made from re-cycled paper (=timber based) and you will see their products on the shelves in the supermarkets. Their tubes are used to protect upmarket products like special-occasion bottles of wine, scented candles, herbal teas and chocolates. So that'll be "timber, truffles, tea and tubes"...!
Standards Plus has provided consultancy on Quality certification to Visican since 1994. Thank you for your business.
Odyssey Systems awarded ISO 27001 Information Security certification
21 July 2023
Richard Finn, Matt Park and Paul Edwards
Odyssey Systems were delighted, pleased and feeling proud of achieving
certification to ISO 27001, the Information Security standard, which compliments their ISO 9001 Quality certification.
Matt Park (Technical and Sales Director) showed great leadership and said "It was quite straight forward for me, I delegated most of the work to Richard and Paul...! I am delighted with this achievement and pleased that this certification will and attract more and better customers to Odyssey, securing the jobs of our employees."
Paul Edwards (Network Manager), the main player for ISO 27001 certification, said "The Full Document Pack provided by Standards Plus were really useful and it was great to have Ollie supporting us during the external audit."
Richard Finn (Facilities Manager), the person responsible for ISO 9001 certification, said "The document templates provided years ago have stood the test of time. Thank you."
Consultancy started 8 months ago and Odyssey took the opportunity to upgrade some of their systems, making use of MS SharePoint (...which automates document version control... nice), MS Forms (...which makes record keeping easy) and Jira (...which makes service desk support more accurate). What's not to like?
Odyssey Systems have traditionally provided telephone services and are now moving into providing managed IT services. They have a nice business model and like to use
their customers as suppliers. So as an example they provide IT support to a local hotel and in return the hotel provides accommodation to Odyssey's visitors. This arrangement is mutually beneficial and ties in both parties, which is good for long term business.
Standards Plus provided consultancy to Odyssey Systems on ISO 9001 certification in year 2015, occasional support since then and consultancy on ISO 27001 in year 2023. Thank you for your business.
Chiorino - recertified for three ISO standards
6 July 2023
Phil Biggin, Richard Fletcher and Carl Johnson
The Vice President, Managing Director and Production Manager were all delighted to have passed their re-certification audit for three ISO standards. The audit went well with quite a few light-hearted moments, and included a site-visit to a potato chip factory where some of the engineers were installing a conveyor belt. "When the chips are down... let's hope the conveyor belt keeps running...!"
Chorino make and install conveyor belts and transmission belts for use in industry. You'll come across their products at the airport luggage check-in, at the supermarket check-out and on a fitness gym running machine. They also supply coated fabrics which are used to make inflatable boats, like RIB's used by the lifeboat service (but not like beach Lilo's!), and escape slides from aircrafts.
Chiorino have ISO certifications for ISO 9001 Quality management, ISO 14001 Environmental management and ISO 45001 Health and Safety management.
Standards Plus has provided consultancy on ISO certifications to Chiorino UK for over 12 years, so
thank you for your business.
Airedale Group Food and Beverage Division scores Grade AA at their BRC audit
26 May 2023
Ben Bartlett-Wadsworth, General Manager of Airedale Group Food and Beverage Division
Congratulations to Ben at Airedale Group for scoring AA grade at their BRC Agents and Brokers audit. This was the second time Airedale scored "top marks". He was supported by Tracey McKenna, Quality Manager from the Airedale parent company, and Martin Leighton, the Director of the Food and Beverage division.
In other news...Rigest now trades as Airedale Group Food and Beverage Division. They are agents and brokers for ingredients used by the food and beverage industry. If you know somebody that drinks cider, wine or cola, then there's a good chance that that Airedale have helped that manufactured in some way.
The BRC standard is an "A-level" quality standard and has extra requirements over and above the regular-level ISO 9001 quality.
Standards Plus has provided quality consultancy to parts of the Airedale Group of businesses for over 10 years so
thank you for your business.
Visican scores Grade AA at their BRC audit
22 March 2023
Yvonne Lawrence and Chloe Martin from Visican
Yvonne Lawrence and fellow directors Alan Lett and James Bannister were delighted to achieve grade AA at their recent BRC audit.
The BRC standard is an "advanced quality standard" and has extra requirements. The factory is very clean and up to "food-grade" standards - and yes, you could eat your dinner off the floor....!
Visican manufacturers promotional packaging and you can find their products surrounding whiskey, perfume, chocolate, candles and other luxury goods in all of the top brand high street stores.
Standards Plus has provided quality consultancy to Visican for 29 years so well done and thank you for your business.
Connexus Group passes ISO 27001 Information Security audit
7 February 2023
Mark, Emma, Glenn and Adrian from the Connexus Group of companies
Connexus were very pleased to pass their annual audit of ISO 27001 Information Security.
This audit was the first in-person audit for two years so it was our chance to put a name to a face. It seemed strange making friends with somebody we half-knew...! So, no hiding then...!
Mark's grip of the technical IT controls really shone through and paid dividends. There is no substitute for having a calendar to remind you of recurring maintenance tasks, coupled with a very good service-desk ticketing-system as evidence of "Job Done". Well done for creating an effective system.
Connexus is a group of businesses and they provide "all things insurance". That is, the initial cover and policy, insurance claims handling (should you need it), vehicle hire whilst yours is being repaired and medical help if you need need repairing...! They also design and develop websites for some top brand car companies.
Standards Plus has provided consultancy on ISO 27001 Information Security since 2017, starting with the initial set up and then ongoing support.
Well done to Connexus and thanks.
Team-Chiorino scores "Top marks with no non-conformances"
9 December 2022
Carl Johnson, Richard Fletcher and Phil Biggin of Chiorino UK Ltd
Chiorino had their first in-person external audit for 3 years and passed with no non-conformances and just a few observations. It was a welcomed change from the recent video-audits and Chiorino felt they got a lot more from this audit.
Carl Johnson (Vice President), Phil Biggin (Managing Director) and Richard Fletcher (Production Manager) were all delighted to pass.
It was a team effort from Chiorino: Carl showed most of the written evidence on-screen, Richard provided the physical evidence and Phil chipped in with moral support and verbal evidence. Standards Plus provided occasional prompts when the main performers forgot their lines....!
Chiorino UK is part of an international group which supplies conveyor belts and coated fabrics to industry and commerce. You may see some of their conveyor belts when you stand at the supermarket checkout, go on a running machine or check-in your luggage at the airport. They also supply coated fabrics that get made into all sorts of products from hospital mattresses and inflatable boats (RIB's), to tents and tarpaulins.
Standards Plus has provided ISO consultancy support to Chiorino for since the year 2010, starting with ISO 9001 Quality, then ISO 14001 Environmental and finally OHSAS 18001 / ISO 45001 Health and Safety.
We always have a laugh together, and then get on with some serious work. Thanks.
Full truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth - Digilog UK passes their ISO 9001 audit
31 October 2022
Lior Koskas, Andy McGeown and Charlie Emsley of Digilog UK Ltd and a happy auditor
Lior Koskas, Chief Executive Officer of Digilog UK, was ever so pleased to have passed the first surveillance audit for ISO 9001.
Andy McGeown and Charlie Emsley have recently taken over responsibility for ISO 9001 certifications at Digilog and did a "great job" at presenting their evidence.
Digilog supplies software and solutions that are used in fraud detection - clever stuff..! It can detect changes in the choice of words used and the tone of the voice. The software is used by Financial Services organisations including insurance companies, claims handling companies and banks as an indicator that the caller has.. err... ummm... mixed up a bit of their story...!
The first image I have in my head, when a "mis-truth" is spoken (or a lie, as we used to call it), a big red light start to flash on the screen of the call handler and to draw attention to the flashing red light, a buzzer sounds, but you can create your own image...!
The second image I have in my head is of a fraudulent inbound caller who asked "Why can I hear a bleep or buzz every time I lie?" Could that be because you're lying?
Bureau Veritas was selected as the Certification Body because their name translates from Latin into "Office of the Truth" - so there's a clue in the name...!
Standards Plus provided all the consultancy support and internal auditor training remotely by video-call and even with these technical challenges we had a great laugh. Thanks.
ISO 9001 passed "with flying colours" at Foresso
18 August 2022
Conor Taylor, Creative Director at Foresso Ltd
Conor Taylor was delighted that Foresso passed their ISO 9001 Quality audit with flying colours and had these kind words:
"Standards Plus was supremely helpful through the year it took us to build and refine our ISO9001 system. Their enthusiasm was infectious and by working proactively with us got the entire team on board and working to our new structure. We passed our stage 2 audit with flying colours and are seeing improvements throughout the business thanks to the new QMS systems, we will definitely be back to pursue other standards with Standards Plus in the future."
Conor is the Creative Director at Foresso and can be credited with inventing their product - a decorative panel that can be used in furniture, as a wall covering or floor covering. It is a really interesting product - visually engaging and tactile.
It was a delight for Standards Plus to work with Conor and Jake Solomon, Financial Director at Foresso. We need more bright, engaging and forward looking people like Conor and Jake running businesses.
Foresso bought the Full Document Pack and a couple of days remote video-consultancy, which was enough to create a quality system. A big boost to the project was the use of Google Forms for record keeping and Google Drive for document version control.
Birthday present for Beau - "Top marks" at ISO audit
9 June 2022
Beau Stevens, Gaz Harman, Matt Wiper and Jack Tait at Premo Fabrications Ltd
There was a nice birthday present for Beau Stevens, Sales Director of Premo Fabrications, passing two ISO audits with no non-conformances - that's top marks.
Premo Fabrications hold two ISO certifications, ISO 9001 for Quality and ISO 45001 for Health and Safety, and they often score "Top marks" at their external audits.
Premo manufactures rainwater products (=gutters), decorative panels and large (=structural) window frames used on commercial and industrial buildings.
Gaz Harman is the production manager of the Fabrication section, Matt Wiper looks after the office and ISO certifications and Jack Tait is the production manager of the Aluminium section.
Beau said "Thanks for the present, same again next year?"
Standards Plus has consulted with Premo for 8 years, helping them achieve ISO 9001 Quality certification in year 2014 and OHSAS 18001 / ISO 45001 Health and Safety certification in year 2016. Prior to that Standards Plus worked with Dave Knowles, also a Director at Premo, since year 2005.
"BRC A&B AA" - Rigest Trading scores grade AA at BRC Agents and Brokers certification
28 May 2022
Ben Wadsworth, General Manager at Rigest Trading Ltd
Ben Wadsworth was "over the moon" that Rigest Trading has been certified to the BRC Agents and Brokers (BRC A&B) standard, scoring grade AA at the first attempt.
Rigest Trading is an agent and broker for food ingredients used in the use in food, beverage, healthcare, sports performance, feed and pet food industries. Their products can be found in products that we all consume everyday, such as cola drinks, cider, wine and sausages! Rigest supplies large top brand manufacturers as well as smaller independent food manufactures.
Rigest is a small part of the Airedale Chemical Company (ACC) group and are based in Keighley, North Yorkshire. ACC provides Rigest with office accommodation, IT support, expert chemistry advice, HR and finance. ACC manufacturers industrial quantities and industrial strength chemicals for all types of industries, including drinking water treatment.
As an "Agent and Broker" for food ingredients Rigest is very much aware of the serious nature of their business and takes care to choose only products from reputable and reliable suppliers. Ben Wadsworth developed a batch traceability system that enabled Rigest to trace where, when and to whom all products have been shipped, and the external auditor was impressed with this. Well done Ben.
Martin Leighton (Rigest Director) and Tracey McKenna (ACC's Quality Manager) both made important contributions to the external audit, helping the day to run smoothly.
BRC certification is an "advanced quality standard" and more demanding than the popular ISO 9001 Quality standard. Also, it has a grading scheme so you instantly know how well you have done - and grade AA is the highest grade.
Standards Plus advised Rigest on BRC A&B certification. The consultancy project was completed "on-time and in-full" - less than 6 months from start to finish and at a lower cost than anticipated.
Grade AA for Visican - six consecutive years
23 March 2022
Yvonne Lawrence, Joint Managing Director at Visican Ltd
The three Joint Managing Directors at Visican were delighted to achieve grade AA for the sixth consecutive year. James Bannister, Alan Lett and Yvonne Lawrence did a management buy out a year ago and were very pleased to continue the tradition of high quality standards.
The audit was for the BRC Packaging Materials standard, which is an "advanced quality" standard and is for food grade products.
Visican manufactures luxury cardboard tubes and plastic tubes used for presentation packaging. You may come across their products if you have:
- Held a "diploma tube" with your degree certificate inside
- Shaken "sprinkles" onto a home-baked cake
- Received champagne(*) in a decorative pack
We always have some big laughs with Visican, usually from the moment we arrive on site until after work when Ollie often chuckles about the days' events. The external auditor was less than entertaining and I'm sure that one day he'll get the hang of... something.
Standards Plus advises Visican on quality standards and has done this for 28 years.
ISO 27001 Information Security re-certification for Connexus Group
15 February 2022
Ken Specter, Mark and Glenn Wilson of the Connexus Group
Ken Specter, Managing Director and owner of the Connexus Group of companies, was delighted to be re-certified to ISO 27001, the Information Security standard. The certificate will be valid for another three years which means that Connexus’ customers have on-going confidence in their data security.
Connexus group provides insurance, legal advice, accident claim handling, replacement car hire and medical treatments to high net worth individuals. Their customers include top-brand car companies and well-respected insurance companies. They employ 200 staff across five sites in the UK.
The audit was hosted by Mark (IT Director), Glenn Wilson (Compliance Manager) and Kerry Nelson (Human Resource Manager) and all three made a good impression with the external auditor.
Glenn said “We wouldn’t have got thorough it without the pre-audit help from Standards Plus.”
Ken said “Well done you lot.”
Standards Plus advises Connexus on ISO certifications.
333 - Not out
2 January 2022
27 years of history plus 9 months in the current year
This morning I did our monthly management accounts - for the three hundred and thirty third time...! That's just short of 28 years in business and I've got the hang of it now...!
We are grateful to Anthony Gray, our financial accountant, who provided an excellent spreadsheet template that's still in use today.
ISO 27001 Information Security certification for Nviron
17 December 2021
Gary Rice, IT Manager at Nviron Ltd
Nviron Ltd are pleased to have passed the ISO 27001 Information Security certification audit at the first attempt.
Nviron provides business-to-business IT support and has the mantra "50-500-50" - they seek customers with 50-500 employees within a 50 mile range of their office in Runcorn, Cheshire.
Standards Plus advises Nviron on their ISO certifications and they have ISO 9001 Quality certification and now the ISO 27001 information Security certification. The consultancy project was delivered "on time and better than budget". In addition to Information Security, Nviron now has a much better Quality system and operates an integrated management system.
Nviron were so confident in their management system that they hosted two different auditors for two different standards at the same time, and this was all done remotely by video-call.
Nikki Tottman, Operations Director, was "delighted" to have passed the audit.
Gary Rice said "I just wanted to put in words how much I have appreciated all of the sage words, knowledge and kindness you have shared with me over the past months. Simply could not have done it without you."
"5 x 3 x 0" - 5 years, 3 standards and zero non-cons...!
10 December 2021
Carl Johnson, Richard Fletcher and Phil Biggin of Chiorino UK
Another successful ISO audit for Chiorino...! That's five consecutive years for three ISO standards with zero non-conformances.
Carl Johnson has hosted the ISO audits for the last 10 years and now hands over that responsibility to Phil Biggin. Richard Fletcher, the new Production Manager, also had his first ISO audit – so it's “all change” at Chiorino.
Phil Biggin, the new Managing Director at Chiorino, was delighted to pass his first ISO audit and said "I am ever-so pleased that we have passed and it's been a great team-effort - thank you".
Chiorino manufactures and supplies belts that are used on all types of machines. If you like to go on a running on a tread-mill in the gym, or put your shopping on a conveyor at the supermarket check-out, then it's probably one of Chiorino's belts.
Standards Plus has advised Chiorino on ISO certifications for 10 years and they currently hold x3 ISO certifications – Quality, Environment, Health and Safety.
Another successful ISO 9001 Quality certification for M&CT
3 December 2021
Dean Baker of M&CT
Dean Baker was very pleased to pass his ISO 9001 Quality audit and he said "The templates provided in the Full Document Pack really helped us today - a great benefit."
Dean has transformed the business and now nearly all of their systems are on-line and this has many benefits for all parties involved.
M&CT are re-positioning the business to become suppliers of materials for passive fire protection - such as fire barriers and intumescent.
Building on this success, M&CT now have plans for certification for the ISO 14001 Environmental and ISO 45001 Health and Safety standards. Standards Plus starts the consultancy within the next few weeks and hopefully they'll have two more certificates on display in 6 months time.
"ISO 9001 Quality certification on-line" for Digilog UK
1 November 2021
Chris Edwards, Lior Koskas and Elliot Brownsword
The complete process of ISO certification was carried out "on-line", which was a first for Standards Plus.
Digilog UK Ltd took 6 months to achieve ISO 9001 Quality certification from start to finish, and scored "top marks" at their audit - that's no non-conformances.
Every step of the consultancy process, from the first contact to the final certification, was carried out remotely by video-call, which opens up many
opportunities. So, now there are no geographical limits to our ISO consultancy and it's good news for the environment too,
without the need to travel.
Digilog is a financial technology company and provides software for use in fraud detection in the insurance industry. Their software can "detect the truth" in a conversation and alerts the call-handler to potential false statements by a claimant. Digilog staff work remotely and only meet each other occasionally, so video-consulting was a natural choice for them.
The external auditor commented that there were "an excessive collection of positive findings" - which is auditor-speak for "can't find anything wrong"...!
Chris Edwards, Chief Operating Officer, was the key driving force in achieving ISO 9001 Quality certification in such a short period of time.
Lior Koskas, Chief Executive Officer, was "delighted" and wants to do ISO 27001 Information Security certification next.
"No non-conformances for 20 years" at M&CT Ltd
30 April 2021
Chris and Mary Taylor
Chris and Mary Taylor celebrated their retirement from M&CT Ltd today after 25 years in business. They have been a customer of Standards Plus for 20 years.
In Chris' speech he was proud to mention that "with Standards Plus' help and guidance M&CT had no non-conformances for for 20 years."
M&CT, formerly known as Vitreous Enamel Services, designs, manufactures and supplies glass frit which is used to make enamel and is a key ingredient for intumescent materials. It's the magic ingredient that makes materials fire-retardant and has great potential.
We hope that Chris and Mary Taylor have a happy retirement and wish Dean Baker, the new owner-manager, good luck for the future.
"Perfect Score" for Premo Fabrications
29 April 2021
The management team at Premo
At their recent ISO certification audit Premo Fabrications achieved a "perfect score". Premo Fabrications "scored maximum points and there were no passes in that round" - as they say on Mastermind. The entire audit was carried out remotely by video-call.
Premo Fabrications and Premo Aluminium make up the Premo Group and they hold ISO 9001 Quality certification and ISO 45001 Health and Safety certification. Premo employs 70 people and manufactures parts for the construction industry and they fall into two categories:
- Gutters for industrial and commercial buildings
- Aluminium window frames for offices, hotels, accommodation and commercial buildings.
The combined management system was described as "solid, strong and mature".
Standards Plus provides advice and support to the group and has done so for nearly a decade.
Grade "AA" for Visican at "Advanced Quality"
19 March 2021
Yvonne Lawrence, Joint Managing Director at Visican
For the fifth year in succession Visican has scored "top marks" at their external quality audit. Well done.
This was a team effort and the foundations for success were laid years ago with good quality management systems. Visican has a busy, calm and efficient atmosphere.
Yvonne Lawrence, James Bannister and Alan Lett have recently completed a management buy out of Visican whilst the out-going Directors enjoy a well-deserved and gradual retirement.
Standards Plus provides consultancy to Visican who have certification to the "advanced quality standard" called BRC for packaging materials. Visican makes presentational and promotional tubes for high street retailers and their products can be found as packaging for food in all of the supermarkets. Other uses for their products include industrial tubes for long-thin-and-delicate replacement parts and diploma tubes for university degree certificates.
Yvonne Lawrence, joint Managing Director said "I would just like to thank you again for all your help, we couldn’t do it without you.
Thank you so much for the champagne, it is very kind of you."
Connexus pass Information Security audit
26 February 2021
Connexus are delighted to pass their ISO 27001 Information Security audit.
Glenn Wilson (Compliance Manager), Mark (IT Director) Emma Parkinson (Partner in the legal business) and Kerry Nelson (HR Manager) were key to the ISO process. The whole audit was carried out remotely by video-call - including a tour of the cellar in their London office...!
The Connexus group provides 24/7 insurance, claims and legal services to brokers, motor manufacturers and high net worth private clients.
Another two ISO certifications for Macdonald and Taylor Healthcare
29 January 2021
James, Owen, Katie and Stephen at Macdonald and Taylor Healthcare
James Gartside, Managing Director at Macdonald and Taylor Healthcare (MTH), said:
"A big thank you for everything you have done and achieved with us over the last 9 months - two new standards and a grade A at BRC, not to mention huge improvements to our ISO 9001 standard. It's been a great achievement."
The whole process and systems have installed confidence throughout the business. You have fitted in to the MTH family wonderfully bringing good practice and a considered approach to everything we do. We have great systems and a management team that I believe is now capable of maintaining of them.
I very much look forward to continuing our work together and enjoying the success that I am sure it will bring. We were very pleased to achieve two certifications on the same day...! "
MTH now holds:
1) ISO 9001 Quality certification.
2) ISO 22716 Good manufacturing for cosmetics certification.
"Christmas arrives early" at Macdonald and Taylor Healthcare
24 December 2020
James Garside, Managing Director (centre), with Katie Meager (Office Admin) and Stephen Farley (Operations Manager)
James Gartside, Managing Director at Macdonald and Taylor Healthcare (MTH) was very pleased to achieve two certifications on the same day...!
MTH now holds:
1) BRC certification for Consumer Products.
2) ISO 13485 certification for Medical Devices.
Both of theses standards can be described as "advanced quality" certifications and demonstrate a good standard of business. It was also an "extension to scope audit", which means that more products are included in the quality system.
Both audits were carried out remotely and at the same time, so it was quite busy for the MTH team who kept moving between the meeting rooms.
MTH has made a massive step forward in the way it operates. The old way was "pen paper and clipboard" but the new way is "tablet phone and laptop with on-line forms". The ability to present information on-screen helped the audits pass quickly and smoothly.
MTH designs, manufacturers and supplies breast pads for nursing mothers, wet-wipes, shower caps and coveralls used as personal protective equipment.
James said "This will greatly improve our prospects of selling products into some new markets. We are ready for our next two certifications in January".
"Very, very brilliant"
21 August 2020
Helen Wright, Ben Purt, Adrian Hallam and Michael Leeds - at the Norwich office of Wavenet
That's "five audits in a row" without a non-conformance for Helen Wright, the ISO champion at Wavenet.
The external audit was carried out remotely by video-call by three auditors all at the same time, but Helen and the team presented their evidence precisely and smoothly. The local team included Michael Leeds, the Operations Manager, who gave an excellent tour of the premises using his mobile phone - it was so good that a career as an estate agent is now a possibility! Ben Purt, the Voice Comms Engineer, was commended for having a really comprehensive asset list and Adrian Hallam, Sales manager, gave a concise presentation of how sales enquiries are handled.
Wavenet passed their re-certification audit for ISO 9001 Quality and ISO 27001 Information Security for their Norwich office. One of the auditor's commented that "Wavenet has a very, very brilliant system."
Standards Plus provides advice and guidance to Wavenet on their ISO certifications.
"Top marks again"
14 July 2020
Helen Wright, M&A Project Manager
Wavenet has passed their external audit on ISO 9001 Quality and ISO 27001 Information Security for their Salford office. This was an all-day remote audit conducted by video-call, with Wavenet staff joining and leaving the meeting when required. Standards Plus supported Wavenet during the day, helping out with the answers to the more tricky questions.
Wavenet provides telecoms services to UK business both large and small. They have a head office in Solihull, West Midlands and satellite offices around the UK.
Helen Wright, M&A Project Manager said "Thanks to Standards Plus for your expert guidance."
"Top marks" for three ISO standards
9 July 2020
Martyn Beattie, Production Manager (left) and Carl Johnson, Managing Director
For the fourth year in a row, Chiorino UK scored "top marks" at their ISO external audit, that is, no non-conformances.
Standards Plus have worked with Chiorino for 10 years advising them on ISO certifications for Quality, Environment and Health and Safety.
The audit was conducted remotely due to current travel and health restrictions. The auditor reviewed documents sent to him in advance and then we met up by video-call for any additional evidence. We even managed to host a site tour using a mobile phone video app and the external auditor praised Chiorino on their high standard of house keeping.
In March 2020 Standards Plus carried out a "Catch-all" internal audit of Chiorino's management system, just before the UK went into lock-down for the Corona-virus pandemic.
Carl Johnson said "Being prepared well in advance really helped us get through this audit."
ISO 9001 Quality - "Very pleased to pass"
1 July 2020
James Gartside and Bernice McWilliams from Macdonald & Taylor Healthcare
James Gartside (Managing Director) and Bernice McWilliams (Sales Director) were "very pleased" to have passed their recent ISO 9001 surveillance audit. This was the second external audit within a month and so MTH are getting used to them.
The external auditor praised MTH on their use of picture instructions as a easy and effective way of communicating "house standards" to their staff. He also liked MTH's plans to automate record keeping by using tablets inside the factory.
Over the next few months MTH intends to expand their portfolio of ISO certifications and are aiming for Good Manufacturing Practice.
James said "Onward and upwards, when's the next audit?"
“Very happy" Florentina
29 May 2020
Florentina Ungureanu (Quality and Regulatory Affairs) at Macdonald & Taylor Healthcare
Florentina Ungureanu was "very happy" to have passed a recent BRC audit at Macdonald & Taylor Healthcare. It was her first time to experience an external audit, so this was all new.
James Gartside, Managing Director of Macdonald & Taylor Healthcare, asked Standards Plus to advise and consult during the run-up to the external audit, and now he's so pleased with progress that we are looking at more certificates to add to their ISO-portfolio.
All the consultancy was conducted remotely by video-call, which met the travel and health restrictions for the Cornovirus Covid 19 pandemic. We managed to carry out several site inspections by video-call, which was a very efficient use of everybody's time.
Macdonald & Taylor Healthcare make and supply consumer products and personal protective equipment (PPE). The consumer products can be found on the shelves at Amazon, chemists and high-street retailers, in the maternity and personal care sections. The basic PPE products are supplied to hospitals, schools and care homes, and the advanced PPE products are used in nuclear power stations.
Florentina said "Thank you for your help, we couldn't have done it without Standards Plus."
“AA Grade" for the fourth time
19 March 2020
James Bannister (Sales Manager), Yvonne Lawrence (Office Manager), Malcolm Kirkham (Joint Managing Director) and Alan Lett (Engineering Manager) at Visican Ltd
Well done to Visican who have achieved "AA grade" on their BRC Quality audit for the fourth year in a row.
The BRC standard is an "advanced quality" standard and is much more demanding than the "regular ISO 9001 Business Quality" standard. This certification scheme is unusual as it provides a graded score, just like school exams, so you know exactly how well you have done. Grade AA is the highest grade.
Visican manufactures luxury cardboard tubes which are often used for promotional packaging. These attractive and bespoke tubes are used as packaging for for all sorts of products ranging from university diploma tubes (nice for your degree certificate) to spice jars in a supermarket.Their customers include the top retail brands seen on the high street and some of the best known brands world-wide. Not bad for a mid-sized business in Birmingham...!
Yvonne Lawrence, Office Manager at Visican, said “Well done and thank you to all the staff for keeping up these rigours standards. Another superb performance by the team. Thanks to Standards Plus for guiding us through this and providing support during the audit.”
“Best practice" commendation
11 February 2020
Matt Wiper, ISO Coordinator at Premo Fabrications
Premo Fabrications has received a commendation for best practice during an external audit. The auditor was impressed with their record keeping – both the “easy to follow” structure of the folders and “intuitive naming” of files so that every record was instantly available.
Premo Fabrications manufactures metal products for use in construction, such as gutters and window frames. Premo was being audited for ISO 9001 Quality and ISO 45001 Health and Safety and passed with “top marks” – so that’s no non-conformances.
Matthew Wiper, the ISO coordinator for Premo, said “Thanks for your help.”
“Top-marks” for M&CT / Vitreous Enamel
3 December 2019
M&CT have held ISO 9001 certification for over 15 years and scored "top marks" at their recent ISO 9001 Quality audit - and Standards Plus were not even there to help them!
Mary and Chris Taylor run a fantastic business manufacturing fire retardants, frit and enamel. One of their products is the "magic powder" added to other products that makes them fire retardant. How cool is that!
Chris, in his spare time (ha,ha) runs the Virtreous Enamel Association and is a great source of knowledge on all-things-enamel.
Enamel frit is a fascinating product - apply it to a steel base material and then fire it in an oven and the "glass" sticks to the metal. Just imagine the smooth surface of a cast iron bath, or the durability of an enamelled cooker top. "Smooth and durable"...!
Mary Taylor, Administrator of M&CT, said "The assessment successfully completed by lunch time – you must have taught us well!!"
“Triple-top-marks” for Wavenet
27 November 2019
Helen Wright, ISO Champion, and Bram Borne, Service Desk Manager
For the third time in six months Wavenet has scored "top marks" at their ISO certification audits, that is zero non-conformances. Wavenet has added the Salford office to their ISO certification scheme along with two other offices in Solihull and Norwich. Wavenet is certified for ISO 9001 Quality and ISO 27001 Information Security.
Helen Wright, the ISO Certification champion at Wavenet, said: “Fabulous, we are delighted. Thanks to Standards Plus again.”
Bram Borne said “I’SO can’t wait for the next one....!”
Wavenet have locations across the UK and provide business to business telecoms services.
“Top Mark” to Connexus - again
21 November 2019
Mark, IT Director of Connexus Group
Connexus were very pleased to score “top marks” at their first surveillance audit for ISO 27001, the information security standard.
Mark, the IT Director, said “Thanks to Standards Plus for preparing us for this audit, we were ready for anything and everything and it all went smoothly”.
The Connexus Group employs 200 staff and provides insurance, insurance claims handling services, legal services, vehicle hire and digital services. Some of their customers are well-known individuals and (very) well-known automotive brands.
“Top Marks” and a H&S upgrade to ISO 45001 for Chiorino
7 August 2019
Martyn Beattie, Production Manager (left) and Carl Johnson, Managing Director, at Chiorino UK Ltd
Congratulations to Chiorino who scored “Top marks” in their ISO audit for 3 standards and the upgrade to ISO 45001, the new health and safety standard. So that's no non-conformances.
Chiorino UK Ltd holds 3 ISO certificates; ISO 9001 Quality, ISO 14001 Environmental and now ISO 45001 Health and Safety. Chiorino supplies belting that is used in conveyors for all sorts of applications such as running machines, supermarket check-out conveyor belts and airport luggage transport belts.
Carl Johnson, the Managing Director, said “I am very pleased as we are the first branch in the Chiorino group to achieve ISO 45001. It was a team effort.”
"Top marks" for wonderful Woodford ...!
2 August 2019
Woodford are delighted to have passed their ISO 9001 Quality surveillance audits with “top marks”, that is no non-conformances, and that’s twice in one week for Standards Plus.
Adrian Baugh, Business Manager for Woodford Fabrications, said “ISO 9001 Quality certification is a really good way of driving up in-house standards.”
Paul Livingstone, Business Manager of Woodford CNC, said “ISO 9001 certification helps us to win new business with new customers”.
Woodford Plastic Fabrications Ltd make thermoplastic parts for water, chemical and general industries. Woodford CNC Ltd machine plastic parts for process industries, engineering industries and anything bespoke. Both businesses are part of the Woodford Corpus group based in Rochdale, Lancashire.
"Top marks" for Wavenet again
31 July 2019
Michael Leeds, Operations Manager at Wavenet's Norwich office
Congratulations to the good people at the Wavenet office in Norwich who have passed their ISO audit with “top marks” and no non-conformances – well done. Top marks are becoming a bit of a habit!
Michael Leeds, the Operations Manager at Norwich, has been wanting ISO certifications for quite a while and was ever so pleased with the result. He said “I’m glad that’s over, now we can get on with some proper work!”
Adrian Hallam, the Sales Team Leader at Norwich said “Ollie, you made a dry subject very entertaining. Thank you.”
Wavenet has two certifications, ISO 9001 Quality and ISO 27001 Information Security. Helen Wright, the in-house ISO champion, said “The only way is up – up north, the Salford office is next.”
Wavenet provides telephone, telecoms and data services to all UK businesses.
"Top marks" for Wavenet
9 July 2019
Helen Wright, "ISO champion" at Wavenet
Congratulations to Wavenet at Solihull who have passed their ISO audits with “top marks” and no non-conformances for the second year running. The two-day audit went well and all the evidence was presented promptly.
Wavenet has two certifications, ISO 9001 Quality and ISO 27001 Information Security. Helen Wright, the in-house ISO champion, said “Phew”.
The external auditor praised Wavenet for conducting realistic business continuity tests - yes, they really did “pull the plug” with no impact on operations! Stewart Motler, the Chief Operating Officer, said “It was a team effort”
Wavenet provide telephone, telecoms and data services to all UK businesses.
ISO 9001 Quality surveillance audit passed
28 May 2019
YoYo Multidrops Ltd have passed their first surveillance audit for ISO 9001 Quality certification - and are very pleased with themselves!
YoYo design and supply road vehicles with a "de-mountable load" - which is best explained by following this link http://www.yoyomultidrops.co.uk/
This is a novel idea and has an appeal to delivery businesses that need high utilisation of their vehicle fleet. They can leave their "load" at a site and then collect it a few days later without tying up a vehicle which is then free to make more deliveries in the meantime. So, one "vehicle" can have several "loads".
Standards Plus is pleased to be supporting YoYo with their quality certification.
"Top marks" for Visican - scoring grade "AA"
11 April 2019
Yvonne Lawrence, Office Manager, and Malcolm Kirkham, Joint Managing Director, at Visican Ltd
For the third time in three years Visican Ltd scored "top marks" at their BRC certification audit - that's grade "AA". The external auditor commended Visican on their efforts suggesting "It's very rare to find nothing wrong, with no non-conformances again this year." That puts Visican in the top 5 of all the businesses he has audited - and he wrote the standard!
BRC Print and Packaging certification is a very high standard that requires good processes and excellent record keeping. It gives retailers confidence that the packaging around their products is safe, legal and of a good quality - it protects consumers from packaging misadventures.
Standards Plus Ltd has provided advice and support to Visican over the last 25 years and Yvonne Lawrence, Office Manager, said "It was a team effort from everybody in the business and Standards Plus is part of that team."
Lead Auditor Qualifications
2 April 2019
Ollie Shaw is now qualified as a Lead Auditor in four ISO certification disciplines - ISO 9001 Quality, ISO 14001 Environment, ISO 27001 Information Security and ISO 45001 Health and Safety. That's the same qualification as an external auditor has. He completed the last two courses in March 2019.
Somebody said that's "Poacher turned gamekeeper" - but we'll let you decide on that one!
"Top marks" and congratulations to Connexus
19 March 2019
Congratulations to the Connexus Group of companies on achieving ISO 27001 Information Security certification today. They scored "Top marks" - that's no non-conformances, which is a stunning performance, so well done to all who participated.
They have 200 staff, 7 businesses, 5 sites and 1 very happy Managing Director!
