12/12/2011

Mails Quality a cert! An Post is granted ISO certification.

There can’t be anyone in An Post who isn’t aware that Quality is our number one priority. Now that we’ve been granted ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management certification by the NSAI (National Standards Authority of Ireland), our customers too are aware of our committment to meeting the highest Quality standards in order to meet their expectations.

ISO 9001:2008 is an internationally recognised standard which has resulted in 950,000 certifications for businesses in 170 countries. A number of quality management principles which help achieve improved performance such as customer focus, leadership, process approach and continuous improvement are required to achieve the standard.

The Quality management system required to attain certification was implemented in all 120 Delivery Services Units and the four Mails Centres. Certification was awarded by the NSAI on the basis of a thorough audit of randomly selected DSUs (Balbriggan, Malahide, Newbridge, Naas, Waterford, Dungarvan, Galway and Athenry) and all four Mails Centres.

John McConnell, Head of Quality said implementation of the standard has meant increased efficiency and streamlining of the entire Mails Operation to ensure that our customers right across the country receive the same level of high Quality service. “In the past, documentation, procedures and terminology differed from office to office which simply didn’t make sense. Now, whether a Manager or Postal Operative is working in Letterkenny, Killarney or Dublin 1 DSU, the performance of all tasks is just the same; all forms have been standardised and are centrally stored on a server for download, as required; Postal Operatives can consult their personal copy of the Operations Manual or the nearest Process Map to see how to complete any task correctly. “Similarly, documentation and procedures in each of the Mails Centres has been standardised. Demonstration of continuous improvement is central to the ISO 9001 Quality certification process and our usage of Six Sigma and 5S methodology (focusing on effective work place organisation), were crucial. Thanks to the cooperation of managers and staff in Mails Operations, the implementation and certification process went really well for us,” he said.

John said that in the competitive environment in which we now operate, ISO 9001:2008 certification is of tremendous significance. “This certification gives further credibility to our promise of world-class Quality service and reinforces customer confidence in the trusted An Post brand. That’s most important in the highly competitive environment in which we operate,” he added.

An Post’s own internal audit team will be conducting regular checks to see that the current high standards are being maintained. In addition, the NSAI will be conducting three yearly ‘surveillance’ audits. Each DSU and Mails Centre will receive individual certification for display in their public area and the ISO mark will be prominent on vehicles, tender documents, product and promotional information over the coming years. We know we’re good – now we have independent certification to prove it!

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