Quality

ISO 9001 is a household word in almost every sector. It is the recognised standard for quality management worldwide. The ISO 14001 certification shows that an organisation takes responsibility towards the environment and complies with environmental laws and regulations.

Martin: “Clients ask about our certifications with great regularity, they value them. We have been ISO 9001 certified since 2016: that certificate is valid for three years, with the possibility of renewal after an annual control audit. After three years, a lead audit is carried out. If that is successful, recertification follows.”

“The ISO 14001 certification is new to us. Customers ask less about this certificate, but we think it is important to stay up to date. We have to enforce this ourselves, for instance, in the areas of waste separation, LED lighting in the premises, and climate-neutral production and packaging. ISO 14001 also affects our suppliers. We are assessed on, for example, the packaging materials or components applied to our final product.”

Both certifications required an intensive process. TÜV Netherlands was the certifying organisation and carried out the audits. Martin: “Because ISO 9001 involved recertification, we as an organisation were already prepared for this: many requirements in this standard have become automatic on the work floor.”

“The communication with the people from TÜV Netherlands was perfect”, Martin continues. “Their interpretation of the inspection report was new to me at the time, which changes per inspection company.” Before joining Exalto Wiper Technologies five years ago, Martin held an engineering role at another company. “There I was asked to handle internal audits, for which I took courses. After some organisational development at Exalto Wiper Technologies, I now focus entirely on monitoring quality and complying with environmental guidelines. I do this in a structured way, looking for improvements and solutions together with colleagues!”

Martin: “We are very happy with the recertification and the new certificate. There is a lot of overlap between the two standards. With ISO 14001, we also anticipate on the future: we will continue this standard on quality and environment in our new location. We want to continuously improve!”