ISO Certification, BRC and FSC® have been improving the print industry standard for over 20 years.
The print industry has become synonymous for ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 and ISO 45001 certifications allowing businesses to improve quality, reduce environmental damage and improve information security. This is often achieved by working with an ISO Consultant who can advise you on how to meet the ISO Certification requirements.
With a heritage in the print industry, 2SB are specialists in ISO Certification for this sector, providing compliance support to a wide range of print, graphics and design businesses.
The print industry is widely considered to be environmentally damaging. The association of paper and cardboard with mass deforestation and the consumption of inks and solvents for production have branded printers with a poor environmental reputation.
Historically, in order to set their business apart, many printers focused on becoming ISO 14001 certified. By holding a UKAS accredited ISO 14001 certificate, printers are able to demostrate that they have introduced and maintain sound environmental control over their operations, and that they are committed to improving their environmental performance where possible.
By implementing a quality management system to meet the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 your business will be required to ensure there is adequate monitoring of print throughout production; that equipment is maintained, calibrated & checked to enable effective colour management; and that customer requirements are clearly documented and communicated - all system attributes a well run printers should have in place.
ISO 9001 can also help to formalise processes and is often used as a good reason to introduce desired change within organisations that will improve internal efficiencies.
Advances in technology have provided the print industry with the opportunity to greatly improve the safety of its working environment in more recent years. Due to the nature of the industry however, effective health and safety management will always be a necessity. The operation of industrial print and finishing machinery, use of vehicles such as fork-lift trucks, use of flammable and harmful solvents and inks and exposure to noise are all examples of hazards faced by your workplace and workforce. As employers, print businesses have both a legal and moral duty to manage these hazards and their associated risks effectively.
2SB Management Systems have extensive experience in managing and advising on health & safety within print environments and will work with you in order to reduce risks wherever practicable.
For any single management system including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, ISO 45001, a typical time frame for implementation is 3-6 months.
Implementation time frames (i.e. building your management system prior to the audit) are as follows:
ISO 9001 – 3 to 6 months
ISO 14001 – 3 to 6 months
ISO 27001 – 3 to 6 months
ISO 45001 – 3 to 6 months
ISO 9001 + ISO 14001 – 4 to 8 months
ISO 9001 + ISO 27001 – 4 to 8 months
ISO 9001 + ISO 14001 + ISO 45001 – 5 to 10 months
ISO 9001 + ISO 14001 + ISO 27001 – 5 to 10 months
This can vary depending on how effective you are at implementing the management system's requirements and the number of certifications being acquired.
We have completed implementations in shorter time frames however from our experience this means internally you must prioritise the ISO implementation with a central member of staff.
In addition to the timeframes above, you should allow 1-3 months for the certification process (i.e. stage 1 and stage 2 audits) and around 2 further weeks to receive your certificate.
It's beneficial to have the advice of a consultant when doing this but you can do it alone if you have the time and resource needed to learn the standard and its requirements.