Nautic, a Paramount Group company, has become the first shipyard in South Africa and one of the first on the continent to achieve certification to the revised International Quality Management Standard, ISO 9001:2015.
The Cape Town-based shipyard recently passed its annual ISO 9001 audit and chose not to take advantage of the three-year transition period available to companies to migrate their quality management to the new 2015 Standard.
“Nautic Africa being certified so soon after the release of the new standard demonstrates how dynamic this organisation is in not wanting to sit back and wait for 2018 to gain certification,” says SHEQ Manager, Hermoine Manuel.
ISO 9001:2015 represents the first major revision of the quality management system standard in 15 years. “The additional requirements mean there are more checks and balances within the QMS, which brings about increased confidence in our ability to meet customer expectations,” she says, adding the company is certified by DNV GL, one of the world’s leading certification and classification societies.
Nautic has met all the requirements as set out by the new International Standards and has been audited to verify its voracity to deliver to the required parameters that include a strong customer focus as well as the motivation and involvement of top management. ISO 9001:2015 emphasises a process approach and continual improvement.
“ISO 9001:2015 introduces a very strong focus on risk-based thinking. This forces us to be more proactive in all aspects of the business. In doing so, we can ensure repeat business through improved client satisfaction, and new business through an enhanced reputation,” says Manuel, who adds: “We have raised the bar for ourselves. In order to maintain certification, we have no choice but to be excellent in what we do.”
