Filatura Tollegno has achieved its goal, obtaining ISO 9001:2015 certification, thus confirming its constant commitment to improving processes as well as product and service quality. This achievement is the fruit of a process that required the company to consider all its key processes, the risks that could arise from them, the related mitigation measures, and the objective measurement of performance indicators, in the knowledge that “every action, whether preventative or remedial, must aim for continuous improvement: declaring the objectives of each process therefore becomes fundamental for its monitoring.” Fabio Quaregna, Compliance Manager at Filatura Tollegno, stated: “Another important aspect of this certification, which, like all ISO standards, is voluntary rather than mandatory, concerns the involvement of all stakeholders, both internal and external to the company. While “inside” resources are hired for their specific work, “outside” collaborators are instead qualified according to specific criteria and requirements shared with management. This is another important aspect, as one of the key points of ISO 9001:2015 concerns the dissemination of leadership: each employee must lead their part of the process, thus taking responsibility for the company’s challenges and objectives as a key player.”
Fabio, what prompted Filatura Tollegno’s desire to obtain ISO 9001:2015 recognition?
Being certified is one of the objectives set by our parent company, Indorama Ventures: all companies within the Group must meet certain standards certified by third-party bodies. ISO 9001:2015 certification is a sought-after target for several reasons, not least the positive impact it has on the market. It’s an objective fact that customers, when entering into commercial agreements, favor partners certified not only for products such as RWS, GOTS, Nativa, and OEKO-TEX, but also for process standards.
ISO 9001 certification also has a significant impact on quality…
There’s no doubt about it. It’s no coincidence that the ISO 9001:2015 standard is commonly known as the “process quality certification” of the company that decides to adopt it. Quality, considered an objective and ultimate goal, must be achieved and recognized objectively and measurably by everyone, primarily the target market.
In short, what are the benefits of having this certification?
Adopting the international standard ISO 9001:2015 allows organizations to demonstrate their ability to adopt a winning method for managing all business processes that focus primarily on the customer and their satisfaction.
Have you encountered any critical issues in achieving this goal?
One of the major challenges encountered along the way was undoubtedly resistance to change, especially in terms of approach and vision. To overcome this, we first involved the various area and process managers in targeted meetings and, at the same time, mapped the Filatura di Tollegno macro process flowchart together with the process owners. Next, we delved into the specifics of each area, compiling a process sheet for each, broken down into eight key points: process inputs and outputs, performance indicators and their acceptance, audit cycles, process-related risks, and preventive and corrective measures.
Do you think training also played a key role in this process?
Engaging all colleagues in training and educational sessions to highlight the path forward and the objective to be achieved was crucial. Suffice it to say that over the past year, we’ve provided more than 300 hours of training, which, when combined with strategic meetings with various departments, clearly demonstrates how crucial we believed training was to the project’s success.
What did reaching this milestone mean for the company?
Obtaining this certification marked the culmination of a process that included a careful analysis of the context, the definition of macro processes, process objectives, and measurable indicators to monitor their performance. It’s important to remember that this ISO standard certification, like many others, follows what’s known as the Deming cycle, or the PLAN – DO – CHECK – ACT cycle: planning, implementation of the plan, verification that the implementation is aligned with the desired outcome, and process standardization. This process is therefore a continuum: the various processes must be continually reassessed to constantly improve them—and themselves.
In the name of continuous improvement, what are the next steps?
This project will allow us not only to gain value in the eyes of our competitors and the market, but also to create a true management system that, to function, must be able to count on everyone’s contribution. It’s important to emphasize that this certification represents only one piece of a much larger, complex, and challenging mosaic for us all. Within a few years, we will need to achieve other process certifications, such as ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, focusing on environmental aspects and worker and workplace health and safety, respectively.
The path is clear…
…as is the mantra that guides my work and that I’m trying to convey: “Write what you do, do what you write, leave a trace: If I listen, I forget; if I see, I remember; if I do, I understand.”
