SINCE its inception in 1994, Cape Town-based Anchor Industries has developed from a family owned business into a successful BBBEE organisation while becoming a leading supplier of equipment and services to the lifting, rigging, marine and offshore mooring industries.

This is driven by the manner in which the quality and safety of products and services are managed. In 2000 an ISO Quality Management System was implemented to maintain this high standard and recently this system was successfully audited to the ISO9001: 2008 standards.

A system of specifications, work instructions, inspection instructions, job descriptions and quality records document each employee’s tasks, responsibilities and the corrective actions if requirements are not met. These form part of the ISO management system that has undergone many revisions since implementation, to better suit the evolving business environment.

“With an ISO system in place for ten years, only a few changes needed to be made to conform to the new standard of the recent audit completed by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) at our Cape Town and Durban branches. Our systems fully comply with the latest ISO9001: 2008 quality standard,” says Peter Minnaar, Anchor Industries operations director and ISO quality manager. “The new standard places more emphasis on customer focus, product conformity and the measurement of the effectiveness of our actions,” he says.

The ISO9001: 2008 certificate is valid for three years, provided that a successful DNV audit is conducted annually and covers products as well as services such as testing, socketing, swaging and spooling.

DNV is an independent foundation, established in 1864 with the purpose of safeguarding life, property, and the environment. While services such as management system certification and corporate responsibility can be applied to any industry, DNV’s main focus industries are marine, oil, gas and energy. The ISO management system standards make good management practice available globally to organisations of all sizes and in all sectors.

In an ongoing effort to maintain and build on its promise, Reliability Secured, continual emphasis is placed on quality and safety; and comprehensive training of all staff ensures that the highest level of service is maintained at all times. Partnerships and alliances with leading global equipment manufacturers also make a significant contribution to the success, Minnaar says.