ROSSENDALE’s largest employer has gained quality management accreditation ISO 9001:2015 at the first time of trying.

J and J Ormerod Plc, JJO, based in Bacup, with four other sites across Rossendale, manufactures kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms; employing around 400 people.

Joint Managing Director Stephen Greenhalgh said: “The Quality Management system acts as an effective tool for ensuring a company-wide commitment to quality and ensuring that JJO adopts principles of continuous improvement.”

Health, Safety and Environmental Manager James Casey and his team have worked hard to ensure all the policies and processes were in place prior to external audit.

James said: “Achieving ISO 9001 was a natural progression for the company and was a direct follow on from JJO gaining the ISO 14001 environmental standard and ISO 50001 energy standard in November 2015.

“There has been a company-wide commitment for quality at JJO. The JJO board of directors endorsed a greater prominence of quality standards throughout the whole of the company.

“This certification provides our customers with further assurance of our high-quality products and services, whilst JJO benefits from a more efficient and effective business operation.”

James praised all staff in ensuring the company achieved certification. He said: “It has been a team effort. It is all thanks to having the right systems in place and the work that is being carried out on the shop floor.

“The auditors only recommended minor areas of improvement, which meant we were awarded the standard at the first time of asking.”

“By achieving the international standard, ISO 9001 provides the potential to increase revenues by attracting new business and retain customers.

Significantly, it will allow JJO to further instil customer confidence in the company’s processes as the company strives for even higher levels of customer satisfaction. 

The company, founded in 1868, reported a six per cent increase in turnover in the year ending February 2016.

The company has a policy of reinvesting profits to continually improve infrastructure across all company departments and improve the efficiency in which they operate.

In the last quarter, £930,000 was invested in purchasing four new energy efficient articulated Scania vehicles and the installation of a new state of the art extraction system.