Lifting Gear Hire’s (LGH) national rental and customer contact centre in Atherton, Manchester has received the company’s second ISO accreditation in a year. This follows equal status that was granted to the Aberdeen warehouse in January.
ISO 9001:2015 is based on several quality management principles including a strong customer focus, the motivation and application of top management, and continual improvement. LGH executives had earlier referred to it as the “pinnacle of standards” and a “minimum benchmark” for any business dealing with safety-critical products.
Barry Jones, Compliance Manager at LGH, explained that the intensive process involves close examination of quality management systems at each location. A detailed overview of a facility includes production of a risk register, assessment of customer satisfaction, plus scrutiny of senior management, the approach to processes, and more.
Colin Naylor, Managing Director at LGH, said: “It was always an aspiration for us to achieve the ISO accreditation at the heart of LGH in Atherton—at the original offices we were based at over 10 years ago. However, whilst significant progress had been made, the acquisition of the hire division of JD Neuhaus (JDN) Ltd. [a manufacturer of hoists and crane systems for extreme environments] in September 2017 accelerated the need to have Aberdeen certified first.”
Phil Smith, Commercial Manager at LGH, said: “Just like Aberdeen, achieving ISO accreditation in Atherton involved a complete review of our processes and systems, and documentation of findings. Given the nature of our product range, existing and prospective customers expect us to have the latest 2015 specification of ISO 9001. Additionally, the accreditation offers them peace of mind that they are sourcing lifting and rigging equipment from a highly disciplined organisation.”
Naylor added: “It has been an excellent year for LGH. We continue to invest in our business in terms of assets, people, and operating resources to ensure we are agile and innovative in our service offering. Next year effectively represents our third since returning to the market.”
LGH was recently present at the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association’s (LEEA) recent LiftEx trade show in Milton Keynes, where members of the wider worldwide management team from the USA, Holland, Germany, and Belgium were in attendance.
Speaking about LiftEx, Naylor concluded: “As a spectacle, LiftEx was excellent; where else can you engage with the cream of the industry under one roof and have access to such a wide product and service range? The dinner and awards event brought a refreshed and modern approach to the lifting industry. There is a general feeling that the event is small in numbers, and perhaps the stats may support this, but the status of exhibitors reflected the old adage: quality over quantity.”