An engineering office uses the quality management system for sparring purposes
24 October 2017
Raksystems Insinööritoimisto Oy has had the ISO 9001 certificate since 2012. The company also has a certified environmental management system based on the ISO 14001 standard. The application for it was filed at the same time as the company sought ISO 9001 certification. "We had earlier built a quality system and we wanted an external verification and 'official approval' for it," explains Marko Malmivaara, Managing Director of Raksystems. He continues: "It also gave us some external insights and served as sparring as well."
For a forerunner, an environmental management system is an obvious choice
It was totally clear for Raksystems that it would seek certification for its environmental management system: "Different energy savings surveys made for our customers are an essential part of our operations, and, therefore, it would be strange if we ourselves were not forerunners in this respect," points out Hannu Lankinen, Financial Director, CFO. "We have always paid attention to both big and small matters. We turn off the lights when the workday is over, we strive to use cars with as minimal emissions as possible, and it goes without saying that we recycle and sort our waste at the office. We have reduced the use of paper by increasing the use of electronic files. These measures bring also financial savings." "Sorting waste materials is one of the easiest ways of doing something for the environment. By sorting, we return the waste to use, and this saves energy," Marko Malmivaara adds.
The environmental management system has brought benefits in other ways as well: competition for the labour force is hard nowadays, and for the employees it is important to represent a company that is environmentally responsible and conserves nature and the environment in general. Many customers are also prepared to pay more for the services and products when these take environmental matters into account. "The environmental management system certification made our whole staff consider environmental affairs, and that tells a lot about our values and our way to act to our customers and other stakeholders," Hannu Lankinen says in conclusion.
Certification useful in marketing and tendering competitions
"Certification confirms that the organisation has accounted for everything necessary in its operations in relation to services and customers," lead assessor Jouni Aalto explains. Marko Malmivaara continues: "We can prove to our customers and partners that the quality of our operations is also monitored by a well-known external party." Certification is utilized in all marketing materials – in addition to brochures and the website, also in the signature to e-mail messages. "In tendering processes, certification brings clear added value," Malmivaara states with pride.
30-year-old company with expertise in properties
The employee-owned Raksystems Insinööritoimisto Oy, soon to turn 30, is an expert company operating in the building and property sector. Raksystems performs condition inspections and surveys, does planning work and supervises renovation projects. The service selection also includes indoor air quality surveys and consultations related to property maintenance in general. Read more about the company at www.raksystems.fi .
ISO standards as management tools
ISO 9001 is an international quality management standard. The standard assesses the organisation's operating environment, management, risk-orientation, quality management principles, process-orientation and service providers. Acquiring the certification proves that the company is managed in compliance with the requirements of the standard.
ISO 14001 is an environmental management system model, where the company, for example, sets environmental goals and monitors their realisation, prepares for environmental risks and accidents and thus commits itself to continuous improvement of the level of its environmental protection activities.
This news was published by VTT Expert Services on 24 October 2017.
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