What ISO certification means for Splash
Here at Splash we have proved over and over that we’re great at what we do. Working together with some leading global brands, we produce their advertising across the world, in different languages, on time and on budget.
But for some clients, that’s not enough.
Before they’ll work with us they want to see a commitment that we’re a professional set up – an efficient outfit producing quality work with processes and systems to prove it – and that we care about the impact we’re making on the environment around us.
That’s where ISO certification comes in. Standing for International Organisation for Standardisation (actually, it derives from the Greek isos meaning equal), ISO is an independent international body with members in 162 countries today. All the processes we perform are monitored and measured to ensure quality, safety and efficiency and, provided we keep up the level of compliance, we are permitted to display the ISO logos.
These internationally recognised logos mean ‘business’ to Splash as a company. Many potential clients will be ISO certified themselves, so they’ll expect their suppliers to be as well.
The ISO 9001 certificate is a Quality Management award consisting of eight principles that, here at Splash, we have demonstrated we can meet on a daily basis and which contain improvement-orientated guidelines. So there’s no sitting still. Despite proving our management processes are in place and being used efficiently, we are expected to keep improving on them too.
The ISO 14001 is an international standard for environmental management. Our Environmental Management System (EMS) needs to comply with legislation. This makes good business sense because as a company we pay taxes on waste and energy. In our particular industry, environmental management means recycling our waste paper and responsibly disposing of such things as our standard and large format printer ink cartridges. We also recycle light bulbs, batteries, plastic, cardboard, aluminium cans as well as furniture and computers. Splash’s Technical Manager Phil Hunnisett even recycled old pallets to build the bar at the front of the office, which is used throughout the day for internal get-togethers and informal meetings with clients. EMS covers actions from interacting with our local community to something as simple as turning off lights in the office to save energy.
Every department in the company needs to be involved in the ISO system and every employee is expected to participate. As the people doing the job every day, employee input is very important as it supplies valuable insights. It may be something like an improvement to a process to capture a problem, to deal with it or to resolve it to prevent a recurrence. Or it may be that the need for staff training is recognised. It’s up to everyone to flag issues and using the ISO tools to minimise waste and errors, productivity is increased. It’s a way to add value to the business, which can only benefit everyone.
Whilst the accreditations are managed by Splash’s Finance/HR Manager Jason Sales, regular reviews of the processes take place internally among managers and more formal reviews with senior management, to keep up our certification. Then there are annual audits where Splash needs to demonstrate compliance.
So far, so good!
For more information about our print, digital, creative and content capabilities, email newbusiness@splashworldwide.com