ISO 9001:2015 The Revised Quality Management Systems Standard

Over a million organisations across the world have already obtained certification to the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Standard, with businesses reporting benefits including increased growth, productivity, and significantly higher customer satisfaction and retention. In 2014 Arrow Self Drive, an independent family run business which began in Huddersfield in 1988, invested substantial time and resources into overhauling its business practices to meet the existing ISO 9001:2008 Standard. 

The Standard is based on a number of quality management principles including strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management and the process approach and continual improvement. Using ISO 9001:2008 helps ensure that customers get consistent, good quality products and services, which in turn brings many business benefits including winning and retaining business, reducing mistakes, increasing efficiency, improving productivity and ultimately driving up profits. In 2015 the standard was revised and the new standard, ISO 9001:2015 emerged. This represents the latest best practice in how to manage and monitor quality across business operations. Some of the key updates in ISO 9001:2015 include the introduction of new terminology, restructuring some of the information, an emphasis on risk-based thinking to enhance the application of the process approach, improved applicability for services, and increased leadership requirements. Companies who already hold a ISO 9001:2008 certificate are expected to migrate to the new 2015 standard and have been given a three year period to undertake the transition.

Arrow Self Drive, having completed the process, are way ahead of the game, and are amongst the small percentage (less than 10%) of British companies to already hold certification to the new standard. James Hill, Managing Director of Arrow Self Drive said, “Since we implemented ISO 9001:2008 just over a year ago we have undertaken rigorous checks every three months to ensure that the new practices are being maintained internally. This has definitely eased the transition to the new 2015 Standard. Being one of the first companies to obtain accredited certification to 9001:2015 is a credit to our team and the certification has elevated us to align with some of the most professional companies in the UK today. Being a Yorkshire, family run business we are especially proud of this achievement and what it says about our operational standards. My team have wholeheartedly embraced the changes necessary to reach this point and as we approach our thirtieth anniversary we anticipate a period of steady growth well into the future with better processes and an improved level of service for all our customers.”