CDF Is ISO 9001:2015 Certified—High-Quality and Low-Risk Outcomes for Customers
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has developed over 22 thousand standards. The one considered the flagship for quality management systems is ISO 9001, with its most recent revision being ISO 9001:2015. According to an ISO article, these standards help organizations “demonstrate to customers that they can offer products and services of consistently good quality.” These standards are designed for use across a variety of industries, including industrial packaging, and create structure for proprietary processes involved in the design and production of intermediate bulk container liners (IBC), bag-in-box, and flexible packaging solutions.
Efficiency and Agility
When adhering to the standard, companies are able to streamline processes for maximum efficiency, while also retaining the agility to adapt as changes are needed. The latest 2015 standard has some important changes at its core, which ISO sees as “evolutionary rather than a revolutionary” process. Past ISO standards were prescriptive, with a focus on documentation. While documentation is important for elements such as traceability and consistency, 2015 is geared towards managing processes, performance, and risk-based thinking and planning—which is geared towards “all stakeholders,” including optimizing performance and service outcomes for customers.
Plan-Do-Check-Act
Nigel Croft, Chair of the ISO subcommittee that developed and revised the standard, says it employs a “Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle at all levels in the organization.” In practice, this relates to placing more emphasis on measuring and properly assessing the input and output of processes.
The above-cited article also explains that the standard was designed to integrate throughout departments within a company that uses different management systems and can be applied to help organizations meet various regulations. This also helps companies meet the integrated demands of complex global supply chains.
7 Specifics
Specifically, the most recent ISO 9001:2015 standard is constructed around seven quality management principles:
- Customer focus
- Leadership
- Engagement of people
- Process approach
- Improvement
- Evidence-based decision making
- Relationship management
Some of the elements introduced in the 2015 standard regard delineating responsibilities of management and managing internal resources. More technical considerations regard product realization, including the steps from design to delivery, and measurement, analysis, and improvement of the quality management system through activities like internal audits and corrective and preventive action.
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CDF’s ISO Implementation
CDF’s ISO 9001:2015 audit included simultaneously integrating our CDF Baltimore facility. We felt well-prepared for it, because we implement continuous improvement efforts to help us be a better organization. We also have robust quality validations in place, as discussed recently in this article, along with various quality certifications associated with food safety and IBC, bag-in-box, and flexible packaging. Preparing for the ISO 2015 certification helped us to place increased structure on strategic development and risk management.
Our top management meets a half-dozen times a year to review and plan our continuous improvement strategies. These strategies and processes span the entire organization and include all interested parties. An example of thinking through risk-based planning might involve how we inspect a part or how we want to invest capital. Before we make any large investment, we will discuss the risk for all variables and review the people, parts, products, and inventory involved. This assessment will span the supply chain on a macro and micro level. Internally, that also includes our employees—fair wage, benefits, the work environment—and the greater community, externally. If we don’t address the needs of all parties, risk-related issues could arise and potentially affect all stakeholders.
We operate with these sensibilities regardless of the ISO standards—and the ISO standards definitely provide a framework to keep us accountable to as we create and improve processes. What passing the ISO audit and receiving certification means for customers is that we will systematically lower their risk while ensuring consistent top-quality products and services with all of our intermediate bulk container liners (IBC), bag-in-box, flexible packaging solutions, and high-quality pail liners and drum liners.
Disrupting the Packaging Industry
We know how important it is for you to consistently deliver the variety of goods our packaging holds: food and beverage, paints, cosmetics, lubricants, and inks, among them. We’re committed to applying comprehensive quality processes to provide you with the superior, innovative packaging CDF is known for.
We set out to disrupt the packaging industry with concerted efforts to meet the needs of our customers while also taking care of the planet. CDF Corporation has a long history of innovation in flexible packaging, from accordion inserts to unique IBC liner valves. CDF’s high level of expertise and service ensure a reliable partner for custom food packaging. As an ISO 9001:2015 and SQF-certified facility, CDF has your food packaging needs covered. Download our Meta KD8 with Smart Pail brochure for more details about this innovative packaging system.
