By the end of 2020, both Cleaning Masters and Hygi Masters renewed their ISO 9001 certificate, proof of high-quality service. Quality Manager Tom Liottier explains how a certification audit works.
In short, the ISO 9001 certificate is a transparent proof of reliability. It is a set of international standards that objectively assesses a company’s quality management system.
A company can only receive ISO 9001 certification after a thorough audit. This audit is carried out by an independent certification body. The certificate is valid for a period of 3 years. A follow-up audit follows each year and a recertification audit every 3 years.
The auditor always goes into great detail. The company must comply with many rules: the so-called ISO9001 standards. These are internationally established. This way, the auditor can objectively judge whether a company meets all quality requirements.
An exceptional audit for the ISO 9001 certificate renewal
BCC, the Belgian Centre for Certification, assessed Cleaning Masters and Hygi Masters. The auditor checked both the theory and the practice on site. The latter was a problem in 2020: the audit fell in the middle of the first corona-lockdown. Together with BCC, Multi Masters Group, of which Cleaning Masters and Hygi Masters are part, found a safe solution:
“We answered a list of 25 questions and supported our answers with the necessary documents,” clarifies Quality Manager Tom Liottier. Those documents illustrate procedures or clarify the operation of certain IT programmes, such as Multidesk and the QMS quality control system. “After analysing our answers, an additional conference call with BCC followed in which we were questioned further.” Due to the exceptional situation, the site audits took place in the autumn.
Quality as a continuous process
This process was followed by a renewal of the certificate for the next three years. “We are proud of this, of course. The auditor was very positive about the professionalism of both divisions. Another big plus is the thorough revision of procedures and documents that we are currently carrying out.”
“Of course there is some healthy stress before an audit, but actually we don’t need to make any specific preparations,” Tom Liottier continues. Multi Masters Group makes quality a continuous process. That brings a lot of extra effort, but also great benefits. “The certificate is the icing on the cake of our efforts, but it’s not a goal in itself.”
Good internal organisation equals good service. Not only in terms of quality, but also in terms of safety and care for the environment. “We want to achieve our CSR objectives by setting up a good management system,” clarifies Tom Liottier.
ISO 9001 certificate: more than the end result
For Multi Masters Group, quality goes far beyond a clean or pest-free building. It’s about everyone working together according to the same guidelines, from the management to our people on the work floor.
Therefore Multi Masters Group carries out its own internal quality checks. “Based on our own Quality Management System, inspection teams test the quality that our masters deliver to customers.”
In addition to internal quality checks, there are also internal audits. In these, we check whether employees follow procedures correctly and whether they use the correct versions of documents. “With the ISO procedures, we streamline the actions of all our employees. That way we ensure that everyone works together efficiently to deliver the highest quality.”
More about Cleaning Masters and Hygi Masters
With 30 years of experience, Cleaning Masters is a household name in the Belgian cleaning industry. Our masters are among the best in regular cleaning, industrial cleaning and window cleaning. Aside the ISO 9001 standard, Cleaning Masters meets ISO 14001 and the VCA P safety standard. Also, it was awarded the Sustainable Development Certificate (ABSU), a silver medal from EcoVadis and the Inclusive Enterprise Reference Certificate.
Besides pest control, Hygi Masters specialises in sanitary hygiene and building care solutions. The company also operates a collection service for deceased pets. Besides the ISO9001:2015 certificate, Hygi Masters holds the CEPA certificate, the VCA-P:2017/6.0 certificate, the ISO 14001:2015 certificate and the phytosanitary licence. Hygi Masters is registered with the FPS Public Health, Environment Department Biocides and is an active member of BePMA, the Belgian Pest Management Association.
