Local manufacturer attains ISO certification

March 2016 Editor's Choice, Fire & Safety

Technoswitch, a local South African company with its headquarters in Johannesburg, has been designing, manufacturing, supplying and providing technical support on high quality fire detection products into sub-Saharan Africa for over 40 years.

At the beginning of 2014, after having analysed our position in the market using a SWOT analysis, a strategic decision was made to grow our local manufacturing section of the business to mitigate some of our exposure to the very volatile South African Rand exchange rate. As part of the manufacturing expansion programme, it was decided to implement a documented quality management system to assist and support the research and development team as well as manufacturing.

After speaking to many consultants and analysing the potential value-add of each, it was eventually decided to utilise the services of the South African Quality Institute (SAQI) and in particular, Jacques Snyders, (SAQI senior member) to assist Technoswitch with the quality management system implementation. It was always agreed between SAQI and Technoswitch that the reason for implementing a Quality Management System (QMS) was to add value and structure to the business, and not to simply have a certificate on the wall.

With this in mind, a process-based approach was adopted and used as the foundation of the QMS. This ensured that the QMS was tailored around our business processes and that everyone within the company would be able to see the benefits.

As the ISO 9001:2008 standard was the current standard during the system design, the requirements of that standard were used, but SAQI had cleverly identified that the new ISO 9001:2015 standard was imminent and elements of the new standard were incorporated into the design to make sure that, should we wish to change over to the new standard, the transition wouldn’t be difficult.

Technoswitch had always envisaged a time scale of 9-12 months for a proper implementation of the system, and so in October 2015, when the new ISO 9001:2015 standard was published, Technoswitch, together with guidance from SAQI, decided to adopt the requirements of the new standard. Many of the new requirements had already been included in the development of the QMS, such as ‘Understanding the context of the organisation’ and ‘Risk based thinking’. The transformation of the system to adhere to the requirements of the 2015 standard was, therefore, a relatively smooth process.

Once again, with advice from SAQI and after much comparative analysis, it was decided to partner with DQS as the certification body. The audit was conducted in mid-January and after closing out the minor findings, Technoswitch received their ISO 9001:2015 certification.

This has been a fantastic team effort where everybody from the GM through to the cleaning staff have all been involved in the successful implementation of the quality management system. We are extremely proud of achieving the certification, but are more excited about the improvements we have seen in our business as a result.



Credit(s)




Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

Fire Ops SA Partners with Matrix
News & Events Fire & Safety Residential Estate (Industry)
Fire Ops SA, a South African private fire and rescue service, has announced its partnership with Matrix Vehicle Tracking to launch FireStop, providing Matrix and Beame clients with direct access to a dedicated professional private fire service.

Read more...
Why Securex matters more than ever
Securex South Africa News & Events Fire & Safety Facilities & Building Management
Visitors will observe the application of integrated security solutions, including AI-enhanced surveillance, cloud-based access control, cybersecurity tools, and perimeter protection within residential, commercial, logistics, and industrial environments

Read more...
Making drone security more accessible
Editor's Choice Integrated Solutions Residential Estate (Industry) AI & Data Analytics IoT & Automation
Michael Lever discusses advances in drone technology, focusing on cost reductions and the implementation of automated services, including beyond line of sight capabilities, for residential estates with SMART Security Solutions.

Read more...
Private fire services becoming the norm?
Technews Publishing SMART Security Solutions Editor's Choice
As the infrastructure and service delivery in many of South Africa’s major cities decline, with a few, limited exceptions, more of the work that should be done by the state has fallen to private companies.

Read more...
View from the trenches
Technews Publishing SMART Security Solutions Editor's Choice Integrated Solutions Security Services & Risk Management Residential Estate (Industry)
There are many great options available to estates for effectively managing their security and operations, but those in the trenches are often limited by body corporate/HOA budget restrictions and misunderstandings.

Read more...
SMART Estate Security Conference KZN 2025
Arteco Global Africa OneSpace Technologies SMART Security Solutions Technews Publishing Editor's Choice Integrated Solutions Security Services & Risk Management Residential Estate (Industry)
May 2025 saw the SMART Security Solutions team heading off to Durban for our annual Estate Security Conference, once again hosted at the Mount Edgecombe Country Club.

Read more...
From prevention to protection
Securex South Africa News & Events Fire & Safety
The Western Cape’s varied landscapes and rapid urban development present a range of fire safety challenges, from densely populated city centres to remote industrial sites, and from heritage buildings to new high-rise developments.

Read more...
Carrier rebranded Kidde Global Solutions
News & Events Fire & Safety
From July 2025, the former Carrier Fire & Security South Africa will operate under its new name, Kidde Fire & Security South Africa, as part of the global realignment of the commercial and residential fire and security business.

Read more...
Get the AI fundamentals right
Leaderware Editor's Choice Surveillance AI & Data Analytics
Much of the marketing for CCTV AI detection implies the client can just drop the AI into their existing systems and operations, and they will be detecting all criminals and be far more efficient when doing it.

Read more...
SMART Surveillance Conference in Johannesburg
Arteco Global Africa Technews Publishing SMART Security Solutions Axis Communications SA neaMetrics Editor's Choice Surveillance Security Services & Risk Management Logistics (Industry) AI & Data Analytics
SMART Security Solutions hosted its annual SMART Surveillance Conference in Johannesburg in July, welcoming several guests, sponsors, and speakers for an informative and enjoyable day examining the evolution of the surveillance market.

Read more...










While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd. | All Rights Reserved.