For Flux Fire Protection, ISO 9001 started as a requirement for joining a leading industry trade body. But what initially felt daunting has helped create more structured processes, improve quality and support a fast-growing business.
Danny Bell is Commercial Director at Flux Fire Protection, a contracting company working in passive fire protection within the wider construction and built environment industry.
Like many SMEs, Flux didn’t start out with ISO 9001 certification at the top of its to-do list. It became more important as the business grew and began dealing with clients and trade bodies that wanted stronger evidence of quality and capability.
One of those organisations was the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP), the leading trade body in Flux’s industry. ISO 9001 was one of its entry requirements.
For Danny, joining the ASFP was important to the company’s development.
“For us to develop as a business, joining them was vital to our growth and to make our mark.”
At first, though, ISO 9001 itself felt like a significant hurdle.
“ISO was one of those at which we maybe held our breath up a little bit to start with. A bit daunting, if you like.”
Danny spoke to several providers, but felt there was a high barrier to entry. It appeared Flux would need extensive policies, procedures and documentation already in place. For an SME without somebody working full-time on quality, Danny described it as a “chicken and egg situation”.
“You’re kind of asking yourself, how the hell are we going to get all this documentation and procedures?”
And all of that had to happen alongside running the business.
“You’re trying to juggle day-to-day operations, the business and client problems and live sites and recruitment and everything else that goes on, while trying to also overhaul your procedures to gain this certification.”
Danny described the period before Flux came to Citation ISO Certification as stressful. The business had begun trying to introduce procedures itself so that it could reach the point where it was ready to be audited.
They needed a more manageable route forward.
After researching different ISO providers and getting quotes, Danny said Citation ISO Certification felt like the “natural fit”.
A key difference was Atlas. During an initial call, the team showed Flux how the portal worked and how its document resources could help the business develop its own processes without having to start with a blank page.
“You guys give us a bit of a blueprint, if you like, and then you give us the backbone and we build the skeleton from there.”
That changed how the certification journey felt.
“It definitely seemed like you weren’t jumping in at the deep end without anyone to throw you a life jacket.”
Once the process began, Danny found it more straightforward and less intimidating than he had anticipated.
“I’d say the process was definitely a lot more streamlined than I originally anticipated and was probably worried about. People can be daunted by someone coming into the business as an external auditor and analysing all their processes of how they work, and the Citation team definitely didn’t make us feel like that.”
Before long, Flux had its policies and procedures in place and was using them as part of its everyday operations.
ISO 9001 hasn’t simply given Flux a certification. Danny says it has changed how the business operates.
Processes are now structured consistently from initial enquiry through to contract award, project completion and handover.
“Everything’s a lot more streamlined. It becomes more of a rinse and repeat process in terms of our day-to-day operations — rinse and repeat in a good way.”
That consistency means employees know where information should be stored and how processes should be followed.
“Everything is structured in the same way each time so that if we onboard new members of staff, or new people, people move from one part of the business to another, or someone needs to pick up from where someone else has left off on annual leave or something like that… everyone knows where everything should be.”
For Danny, document control has been one of the biggest improvements.
“Time saved, definitely. We’ve just got standard filing structure for everything, so no one’s creating their own ad hoc filing. People aren’t looking for things, wondering where they are.”
Staff onboarding has become easier too.
“Staff onboarding is quicker because there’s just a blueprint.”
Flux has also moved from handling issues such as client complaints more informally to using a structured non-conformance process.
“Everything’s just more of a closed loop, if you like, in terms of feedback and identifying issues and then resolving them.”
And when asked whether quality had improved?
“Quality, definitely, just on every front.”
ISO 9001 enabled Flux to meet the requirements for ASFP membership and has also helped satisfy requirements from larger prospective clients.
“I’m sure it’s helped us get on lots of tenders and frameworks, definitely for your big national companies that need streamlined organisations in their supply chain.”
For Danny, certification also sends an important message about the business.
“It sends a good positive signal to the market that you’re a high-calibre outfit that takes things seriously.”
Its value is also in helping Flux manage rapid growth. The business has, at times, more than doubled turnover year on year — growth he believes needs systemised processes behind it to remain manageable.
“The system that we’ve got and the processes and the company policies that we’ve got in place now work at our size and are very scalable.”
That gives Flux a structure it can build on as it introduces new services, products or areas of the business.
While implementing the system initially involved changing previous ways of working and learning new processes, he said the latest audit was markedly easier.
For other businesses in the wider construction industry, Danny’s advice is clear:
“It’s definitely worth pursuing. It just makes everything much more scalable and helps everyone in the team know where they are.”
And his verdict on working with Citation ISO Certification?
“Very positive experience. Would highly recommend.”
Danny Bell
Commercial Director, Flux Fire Protection
Speak to Citation ISO Certification about building a quality management system that works for your business and supports where you want to go next.
SECTOR TYPE
Fire SafetyISO USED
ISO 9001LOCATION
North West England“ISO 9001 just makes everything much more scalable and helps everyone in the team know where they are.”
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