INDEVCO Consultancy guides businesses through ISO certification process

Companies that seek an officially recognized stamp of quality and excellence are increasingly turning to international standards like ISO certifications. The Business Process Improvement & Excellence team at INDEVCO Consultancy guides them through this process – from the initial preparations through to attaining the actual certification.

ISO certifications are endorsements that warrant a company’s products, processes, and/or services, ensuring that they meet international high-quality standards. Companies that meet the ISO standards demonstrate that they have the right quality management systems in place and safeguard an effective implementation.

With its high standards, achieving ISO certification can be a complex process, as it typically requires introducing more robust ways of working and changes to activities, practices, or processes. In some cases, meeting ISO requirements may also mean new systems need to be put into place.

“Having proper guidance during the process of attaining certification is therefore essential,” noted Emile Georgi, who leads the Business Process Improvement & Excellence team at INDEVCO Consultancy. This team specializes in helping companies embed operational excellence within their operations and culture, with quality management a key stream they help optimize.

At GESPA, a procurement agency in Lebanon, INDEVCO Consultancy recently supported the leadership team with obtaining ISO 9001, one of the most well-known and most sought-after certifications in the area of quality management.

“This family of certifications is designed to help organizations ensure they meet customer and regulatory requirements and focuses on principles like customer satisfaction, leadership, and process improvement to enhance overall business performance,” explained Georgi.

INDEVCO Consultancy also helped dozens of manufacturing companies with attaining ISO 9001. “ISO certifications are essential in the manufacturing industry because they set clear standards for quality and consistency, ensuring products meet customer expectations. They also help streamline processes, reduce errors, and improve overall efficiency,” said Georgi.

Yet the list of ISO certifications is long, and diverse. ISO’s scope even extends into the world of sustainability, most notably with ISO 14001, which covers policies and procedures to minimize the environmental impact of operations.

Masterpak, a Lebanese polyethylene film manufacturer, for instance recently gained the ISO 14001 certification, demonstrating that its production processes for products used in industries like agriculture, beverages, building, food, and pharma are in line with environmental best practices. INDEVCO Consultancy advised during the full lifecycle of the process.

“The ISO 14001 certification helps organizations minimize their environmental aspects and impacts and ensures compliance with regulations. It encourages sustainable practices, such as reducing waste and pollution, while promoting continuous improvement in environmental performance.”

INDEVCO’s research and development center Polymer Application Center for Technology (PACT) holds the ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. PACT offers consulting services related with research, development, and testing of plastics and other products.

The wider ISO landscape

A further rundown of ISO certification types that INDEVCO Consultancy has helped clients to obtain:

ISO 9001 refers to a certification that ensures the effectiveness of a quality management system in an organization.

ISO 22000 certifies companies for excellence in food safety management. This certification is useful for producers, manufacturers, and retailers with consumers ultimately benefiting from guaranteed food / food packaging safety. Beverage packaging company Prepak achieved this certification thanks to INDEVCO Consultancy.

ISO/IEC 17025 is an accreditation that endorses the quality of laboratory testing and calibration. This helps to facilitate cooperation between laboratories in different countries, for example. Results can be accepted without needing further verification.

ISO 45001 refers to the standard related to occupational health and safety. INDEVCO Consultancy provided advisory services to Lebanese printing inks and derivatives manufacturer Interstate Inks in their pursuit of this prestigious certification. This certification helps organizations reduce workplace risks and create safer working environment and practices. It focuses on preventing accidents, injuries, and illnesses by promoting proactive safety measures and continual improvement.

ISO 14001 is a certification that covers environmental management. This certification helps organizations minimize their environmental aspects and impacts and ensures compliance with regulations. It encourages sustainable practices, such as reducing waste and pollution, while promoting continuous improvement in environmental performance.

“ISO certifications are essential in the manufacturing industry because they set clear standards for quality and consistency, ensuring products meet customer expectations. They also help streamline processes, reduce errors, and improve overall efficiency,” said Georgi.

Leveraging certifications for continuous improvement

While certification processes are often required as ‘tick the box’ exercises for compliance, Georgi said that companies should seize the opportunity to go beyond compliance. “Building best practice processes and quality systems not just enhance credibility, they at the same time improve operational performance, and promote consistency in the delivered products or services to clients.”

“While setting the system towards excellence, continuous and regular internal audit and system monitoring enable organizations to set the path towards business optimization, corporate policy compliance, and subsequently improve products and services, minimizing risks and increasing stakeholder satisfaction,” he concluded.

About INDEVCO Consultancy
With over six decades of heritage in diversified manufacturing and industrial consultancy, INDEVCO Consultancy leverages its deep expertise across the manufacturing sector, extensive B2B and B2C experience, and global market exposure. The firm, which is a pillar of multinational INDEVCO Group, offers advisory services across multiple industries, covering areas such as Business Resilience & Transformation, ESG, Customer Insights, Digital & Technology, Innovation, Marketing & Sales Enablement, and Risk Management.