1. Case Study
Spira Projects Limited
Summary
Needs
• To deliver defect-free goods on
time and within budget
• To determine client needs
and expectations
• To enhance client satisfaction
• To ensure legislative compliance
• To ensure the availability of
appropriate resources
Benefits
• Better monitoring and reporting
• Increased client base
• Enhanced client satisfaction
• Improved staff motivation
• Continual improvement
Background
Spira Projects Limited is a joinery
manufacturer based in the heart of England.
The business specialises in the production
of high volume joinery for the retail and
commercial sectors. Spira Projects sees
ongoing investment in technology and staff
as the key to establishing the company at
the forefront of the UK joinery industry.
Spira Projects’ primary area of expertise is
bespoke joinery with particular emphasis
on high volume manufacture, interiors
and interior furnishings, specialist joinery
projects, exhibitions and retail outlets.
ISO 9001 – Quality Management Systems
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2. Customer Needs
Spira Projects wanted to ensure that its
manufacturing operation was running as
efficiently as possible. With this vision in
mind the company made the decision to
implement the Quality Management
System, ISO 9001, in order to maximise
customer satisfaction, increase market
share, drive down costs and manage risk
more effectively. By implementing ISO 9001,
the organisation has since been able to
operate within a structured framework
to monitor and continually improve
performance.
Benefits
ISO 9001 has helped Spira Projects
continually monitor how well its customer
satisfaction objectives are being met.
Managing director, Steven Houchen,
explains that, “ISO 9001 provided a
respected third party endorsement to
substantiate our internal claims of fulfilling
client needs and expectations. It also gave
us a framework for communicating
throughout the organisation the importance
of meeting clients’ needs and legal
requirements.”
“With this framework in place we are better
positioned to ensure that an efficient and
effective service is provided,” he says.
“By having written procedures, instructions,
forms and records has helped ensure that
everyone is not just ‘doing his or her own
thing’ and that the organisation goes about
its business in an orderly and structured
way. This means that time, money and other
resources are utilised efficiently and ensures
that nothing important is left out. This way
everyone is clear about who is responsible
for doing what, when, how, why
and where.”
Steve Houchen comments that the staff
response to implementing the system has
been very positive. “As expected in a SME
the time schedule was challenging with
project management taking precedence
over audits,” he says. “The benefits
however, have been clear to our staff.
Improved monitoring and reporting ensures
the availability of appropriate resources and
we have gained at least five new clients
since achieving ISO 9001.” Steven Houchen
goes on to explain that, “Spira Projects took
delivery of a new biomass heating system
that was commissioned in July 2008. As a
result, in November 2008 Spira Projects was
singled out by Business Link East Midlands
to take part in a filmed case study of
businesses that have implemented resource
efficiency improvements. The aim was to
demonstrate how resource efficiency can
gain competitive advantage, improve
business process efficiency, supply chain
control and cut costs.”
BSI’s Role
Spira Projects elected to work with
market leader BSI to ensure that its clients
respected the quality management system
that was implemented. ISO 9001 is the
first management system standard to be
achieved by Spira Projects, however due to
the evident benefits of implementing
ISO 9001, the company is now considering
the environmental management system,
ISO 4001 and BS OHSAS 18001 for health
and safety management.
BSI
Beech House
Breckland
Linford Wood
Milton Keynes
MK14 6ES
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0)845 080 9000
F: +44 (0)1908 228 180
E: certification.sales@bsigroup.com
www.bsigroup.co.uk/improve
raising standards worldwide™
BSI/UK/233/0909/E/LB
Photos: Courtesy of JHP.
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