Keeping control of the details in a thriving manufacturing business is a key objective as a company undergoes expansion , and that control was a significant driving factor behind Made For Trade ’ s latest achievement : gaining the internationally-recognised standard of ISO9001:2015 with regards to quality control . The enviable accreditation is the latest in a multitude of steps that help to separate and elevate MFT from the competition via the transfer of processes , design and even staff from the high-tech automotive , motorsport and aerospace industries to manufacturing and glazing .

Whilst the term ‘ quality ’ is often seen to represent the aesthetic look , fit / finish or longevity of a product , in engineering terms it means a significant amount more ; it is the discipline concerned with the principles and practice of quality assurance and control for both the product and service . The

NQA Certification sets MFT apart as a result , thanks to the precise repeatability of every single aspect of how a Made For Trade product is designed , sold and manufactured .

Refining the business to gain the enviable accreditation has been the result of years of work , and particularly so in the last 24 months under the auspices of Quality Manager Jason Couse , who joined Made For Trade from a parallel role in engineering at the start of 2020 . The steps and implemented procedures needed to satisfy the accreditation process across every single area of the business . This started right back with the experienced MFT sales team and the adoption of consistent processes for dealing with new enquiries , right through to the very last steps as the market-leading fenestration products leave the factory - even the optimised and refined method in which packaging materials are applied .

Chris Wann , Operations Director at Made For Trade said : “ We recognised that a robust system which can provide validated data from all areas is necessary for our own feedback – and to make the informed decisions required for success . We brought in Jason Couse as our Quality Manager , who was tasked with supporting other members of the senior management team to document all business processes . It has been a challenging two years to get to this point but we are delighted that with Jason ’ s

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hard work and guidance the team has successfully achieved an ISO9001 certificate for Made For Trade . What is of key significance however is that we now have a rigorous quality system in place alongside that is tailored specifically to the business .”

What does this mean for the trade partner , installer or end consumer ? The certification ensures that Made For Trade can now truly quantify their promise of offering the best service in the industry , thanks to an internationally-recognised standard proving that each and every product follows the same key steps from sales through manufacturing - each and every time . The mark is a formal recognition of MFT ’ s engineering-led ethos and elevates the company above the competition , whilst creating an in-house culture focused on customer satisfaction and continuous improvement .

Jason Couse said : “ My part was to build on what was already in place to provide a practical and workable Quality Management System ( QMS ) for improving , monitoring and continually improving all areas of the company , but also with one eye on meeting the requirements of the internationally-recognised

ISO9001:2015 . The first step was raising awareness of the standard across all members of the staff team and what it means for the organisation , before working with each department in turn to help create processes , develop training needs and identify risk and opportunities .”

The Quality Management System ( QMS ) includes all members of the business in one way or another and is driven from the top . Made For Trade ’ s directors have been a driving force for implementing the changes , whilst Operations Manager Mike Robinson played a significant part in developing the standards within the quoting and order processing teams , and Frank Donaghy and Richie Bezance doing the same in the manufacturing environments . Furthermore , MFT ’ s Mark Thompson and Tracy Garrod received internal auditor training as part of the process to expand their skills and achieve recognised auditor standards of CQI and IRCA , with a focus on raising the internal audit practices and continually improving business standards .

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