Supply+ Case Study
The Supply+ brands are AS Fire & Safety, Bayley and Collins Youldon; these products are all manufactured in the UK.
Their commitment to innovate and deliver new developments and products to their customers is integral in their strategy. They value their customer chain from the OEM to the end user. It is this relationship and feedback that has helped them to deliver new ideas successfully.
Supply+ exports to over 40 countries supplying specialist equipment to their diverse international customer base. They are committed to designing, engineering and delivering quality products and services based on their advanced industry knowledge.
They pride themselves on their understanding of the issues that affect both their customers and their staff. They have a genuine enthusiasm for what they do and their aim is to act as a trusted extension of their customer’s activities and objectives.
Supply+ employ 69 full time staff, their operational facility is 64,000 sq feet and in recent times the company have been reviewing and updating plant and machinery. They are keen supporters of the apprenticeship scheme, currently employing four apprentices who are gaining qualifications whilst working.
Choosing NQA
Their certification journey commenced in 2009 when they decided to seek ISO 9001 certification with NQA. They recognised NQA's modern approach auditing and their need to continually improve their management systems. Supply+ knew that NQA would be thorough and fair, ensuring they would gain from their audit experience. In June 2009 NQA recommended Supply+ for certification to ISO 9001.
In October 2017 they successfully transitioned from ISO 9001:2008 to ISO 9001:2015. Utelising NQA's resources, including the website which offered assistance in the requirements of the new standard allowing Supply+ to updated all of their procedures and processes in a comprehensive way.
As a result of their conformance to ISO 9001, their comprehensive system, successful external audits and vast improvement of their management system supported them in gaining AFNOR accreditation in 2015. This accreditation has allowed the Supply+ to design, manufacture and supply a Mobile Hose Reel to the French Fire Market.
Continuing through COVID-19
Supply Plus Ltd had already committed to working towards ISO 45001. Their initial completion date had been agreed for mid-August 2020. As the COVID-19 pandemic approached Supply+ took the decision to press on with gaining certification to bolster the welfare of their team by improving their management systems in the area of health and safety. They knew, as the pandemic approached, that they were going to continue to supply their products throughout to critical infrastructure Fuel Delivery companies as well as the Fire and Rescue Services. So they had to 'keep going'!
They gained ISO 45001:2018 certification on 6th June 2020.
As the pandemic continued and it became apparent that lockdown was going to become the normal for a longer period of time, they decided to add ISO 14001:2015 to their certification portfolio as it is becoming more significant for businesses to demonstrate that their culture is considering their impact on the environment.
They also gained ISO 14001:2015 certification on 14th July 2020.
For both certifications much of the work was done remotely as all staff that were able to work from home had been doing so prior to the lockdown starting. This created a few challenges which were met with creativity and enthusiasm!
Trio of Standards - ISO 9001, ISO 45001 & ISO 14001
Supply+ are already seeing the benefits of certification and aligning their strategy with their ever-improving management systems. Having an integrated management system in place enables them to provide consistent quality, OH&S and Environment procedures and processes in place to provide more efficient and reliable products whilst maintaining customer satisfaction, good H&S practices and being mindful of the environment.
Derek Gotts, Managing Director, explained "What we like most about working with NQA is how our auditors Teresa Luff and Kevin Linden are professional, knowledgeable and have a wealth of experience. Both auditors are thorough and demonstrate a genuine interest in our business, activities and client base”.
“Gaining certification for ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 has been a fantastic achievement for our business. Both projects were led by our Compliance Director, Karen Hull, who managed us through these processes in these unprecedented times”.
We work with our customers to prepare for tomorrow today.
To download a copy of this case study click here.