GLTC attains ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 45001: 2018 certification

In a development that asserts the company’s uncompromising attitude towards quality and health & safety standards, Goscor Lift Truck Company has achieved the ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 45001: 2018 certification, adding to a long list of other certifications attained in recent years.  

Goscor Lift Truck Company (GLTC) is celebrating its latest achievement: the attainment of ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 45001: 2018 certification. The audit and confirmation of this accreditation was in February 2020. ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 45001: 2018 is an integrated management system (IMS) which combines all aspects of an organisation’s systems, processes and standards into one system. This merger allows a business to streamline its management, save time and increase efficiency by addressing all elements of the management system as a whole.

The latest certification follows several other accreditations the company received in recent years. The company set the ball rolling in 2016 when it successfully achieved ISO 9001: 2008. In 2018, GLTC went on to successfully upgrade from ISO 9001: 2008 to ISO 9001: 2015, while it also attained the OHSAS 18001 certification almost at the same time. The company, at the time, became the only forklift company in South Africa to have both these accreditations.

“This has been a long journey that started way back in 2016 with the aim to achieve the ISO 9001 Quality Management System accreditation. This was awarded and in 2018 we aimed for and added OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health & Safety Management to our long list of accreditations. This base allowed for management buy-in to push ever forward to achieve the latest ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 45001: 2018 Integrated Management System (IMS) certification,” explains Cecil Oates, MD of GLTC.

“At GLTC we have always believed that ISO is not only a standard, but a good business management tool. All businesses need to have systems, so why not follow an internationally recognised standard that tells us which systems are important and all the aspects that need to be considered. Ultimately, each company has to define its own systems that are suitable to its business and then follow the system and improve it as you go,” he adds.

ISO 9001 / OHSAS 18001, reasons Oates, is now a minimum requirement for most company tenders, so for GLTC the ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 45001: 2018 IMS not only ensures that the company stays one step ahead of its competitors, but also protects both its staff and valued customers.

With that said, Oates says getting the certification is one thing, and now is only the start of a journey to build on a process of continuous improvement.

“As a business we have only started the journey and now have the building blocks to improve our business. We are aware that the scope of improvement is huge and are excited about the opportunity to not only provide a better service to our customers, but in the process look after the wellness of our staff, especially in the face of the current pandemic, and most importantly, our impact on the planet,” concludes Oates.