What is the International Organization for Standardization?

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is an independent, non-governmental international organization that develops and publishes standards which guarantees the quality, safety, and efficiency of products, services, and systems. In Australia, ISO certification is widely recognized across various industries  as a trusted accreditation due to the rigorous testing organizations go though to obtain certification. As stated direct by ISO;

“Think of these standards as a formula that describes the best way of doing something. It could be about making a product, managing a process, delivering a service or supplying materials – standards cover a huge range of activities. Standards are the distilled wisdom of people with expertise in their subject matter and who know the needs of the organizations they represent – people such as manufacturers, sellers, buyers, customers, trade associations, users or regulators.“

The ISO Standards Explained

Gunnebo Australia obtained a triple certification for an Integrated Management System in the areas of Quality, Environment and OH&S in 2022. Each of these standards individually have been designed with a best practice in mind, ensuring there is a baseline standard of the most effective ways of operating a business.

ISO 9001:2015 – Quality Management Systems:

The Quality Management Systems Standard highlights ways in which an organization can work to improve the quality of their products and services, ensuring customers expectations are continually met. Gunnebo have the commitment to provide products and services that offer reliability, performance and value to our customers. We achieve this commitment through various channels, some of which include; Commitment to increase quality of products and services to exceed customers’ expectations, Careful selection of suppliers, Satisfying customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, Tracking and applying new technologies and educating employees, and more.

ISO 14001:2015 – Environmental Management Systems:

The Environmental Management Systems Standard is in place to help reduce environmental impacts, reduce waste and be more sustainable as an organization. Gunnebo have a strong commitment to Environmental and Sustainability both on a global and local level. As Gunnebo are a manufacturer, distributor, installer and servicer; the opportunity to dramatically reduce our environmental footprint is a key focus for our business. From a Global standpoint, Gunnebo have introduced a range of approaches including; reduced packaging on manufactured goods, utilizing recycled materials to create our packaging, deploying fleets of electric service vehicles and more. From a local level, Gunnebo Australia commit to; Continual raising of environmental awareness, Exploration of new materials with smaller environmental footprints and improvement of hazardous waste, Following environmental procedures to decrease environmental pollution, and prevent degradation and damage to the environment management, Decrease of non-renewable energy consumption and replacement with renewable energy sources, and more.

ISO 45001:2018 – Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems:

The Occupational Health and Safety Management System has been designed to provide the framework for organizations to implement healthy working conditions, consultation and participation of workers and their representatives. We achieve this through various ways, such as; Continual education to prevent injuries and impairment of health and improve the IMS effectiveness, Exploration of new materials and equipment to decrease work place risk level, Continual education for safe work on all workplaces in Gunnebo, and more.

The Benefits to an Integrated Management System

Whilst the standards alone are a great framework of the optimal ways of working, implementing a variety of different standards into one management system and creating strategic policies and procedures to support is ideal. At Gunnebo Australia, we continually adhere to the requirements needed to hold certification and remain triple IMS certified in 2024. So, what are the benefits to our customers for us utilizing an integrated management system?

• Provides clear and concise processes surrounding health & safety, reducing risks and making Gunnebo a safe place to work for our employees and representatives.
• Fosters management involvement and accountability, ensuring that key stakeholders within our business are across core actions.
• Increased quality standard of products and services supplied, making our offering optimal for customers.
• Mitigates the risk of injury, incidents, or poor workmanship from being undertaken, giving our customers peace of mind when working with us.
• Reducing our environmental footprint, allowing us to contribute to a more sustainable future for generations to come.
• Ensures Gunnebo act as a proactive and sustainable business, demonstrating our commitment to quality, safety and environment.

In Conclusion

Gunnebo are continually working toward being a more efficient business, for customers and employees alike. Having a IMS in place holds our organization accountable whilst providing clear policies and processes surrounding various key components to our business. By adhering to Quality, Environmental and Safety Standards, Gunnebo are attributing to a more sustainable future and a safer workplace. We can rest assured knowing our processes that are in place today, are shaping tomorrow.