ISO 9001 recertification

What is the ISO 9001?

ISO 9001 is the internationally recognised standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS).  It sets out the criteria for a quality management system, providing a set of principles and a framework to allow an organisation to satisfy customers and other stakeholder consistently.  There are seven key principles which provide the basis for implementing and maintaining effective processes through continuous quality management.  It is the most widely used QMS standard in the world, with over 1.1 million certificates issued to organisations in 178 countries.*as stated by the ISO organisation 2015

There are seven basic principles which relate to the ISO quality management standards:

1       Customer Focus
2       Leadership
3       Engagement of People
4       Process approach
5       Improvement
6       Evidence-based decision making
7       Relationship management

Whether a large or small organisation, these principles help ensure customer satisfaction through consistently providing a good service and product, and brings many business benefits too, like reduced operating costs.

What are the benefits?

There are many benefits for implementing the ISO 9001 quality standard, both for the customer and the organisation.  The ISO principle of Customer Focus states that it is a requirement to meet, and strive to exceed the customer requirements and expectations.  For the customer this means that they are getting satisfaction, and for business this is likely to improve the customer relationship, increasing customer loyalty and enhancing the business profile.

The relationship management principle focuses on managing its relationships with all interested parties.  This includes customers, suppliers and employees among others.  Engaging and understanding the needs and wants of the interested parties helps enhance organisational performance.

ISO 9001 is a continuous process, and requires all involved to be engaged and invested in achieving the quality standards.  Leaders play an important part in creating conditions which allow the organisation to achieve the objectives, and engaged employees help to deliver them, whether through creating cost effective processes, helping to reduce operating costs, or in customer service.  All areas of the business are touched by the principles, from the accounts to the manufacturing department, all are involved in the ongoing improvement of the organisation.

For more information about the principles, the benefits and how they can be implemented, click here for the ISO produced Quality Management Principles PDF document.

Freddy Products ISO 9001 certificate

Our quality policy statement

The Company policy is to supply quality products and to offer best practice industry standards in terms of availability and delivery to its customers.

The company recognises that the involvement and co-operation of all employees in the quality concept is an essential part of achieving the required standards and it is the function of all levels of management to foster and promote this attitude.

The company is dedicated to continuous improvement through established and on-going objectives, set and constantly reviewed by the management…..

(Extract from Freddy Products Ltd Quality manual)

We believe that by implementing ISO 9001, and through continuously reviewing and improving our processes, we have improved our customer satisfaction. We ask customers for feedback on a regular basis to ensure we are exceeding expectations.  Our operating costs have reduced in key areas, and by engaging with employees and discussing how we can go forward and improve our performance, we are seeing consistent growth and development.  This In turn has helped to increase our business base, and improve our stakeholder relationships, as well as being able to say we have achieved, and are compliant with a globally recognised industry standard!

References:

*ISO organisation. ISO 9000 - Quality management [online] Available from: http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_9000 [accessed 18.09.2015]

 

New website launch!

We are really happy to announce the launch of the new Freddy Products Ltd website.  Having worked on this for a number of months it is really exciting for us to be able to share this.  The new website has a lot of features that were not present on the old website, including new 360 degree product views, new videos, as well as a brand new look and feel.  I hope you will all take a look - any feedback will be welcome!  Click here to take a look.

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Freddy supports local & national charities

Showing our support

In June 2013 we decided to raise money for Prostate cancer UK, so held a promotion on all sales. The promotion, held on 14th June, was in line with the Father’s Day Campaign being held by Prostate Cancer UK, and Freddy’s customers were thoroughly supportive, raising over £500.

Throughout the year we take part in many events to raise money as a company, such as Wear it Pink day for Cancer Research UK and Jean for Genes day to raise money for genetic disorders, and we are also sponsoring a cyclist cycling from Cardiff to Paris in 2015 for Tenovus Cancer Care.

We also have several members of staff that take part in sponsored events and as a company we fully support this.  Recently, Harriet, in our service department, took part in the St. Richards Hospice ‘Rainbow Run’, raising money to help support St. Richard’s Hospice which is based in Worcester.  

And Lisa, our office manager is taking part in several sponsored events in 2015 to raise money for cancer research UK – here is a link to her justGiving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/Lisa-Tomkins86/

We will soon be launching a new website, and we plan to give a percentage of all website sales to charity to continue to help charities in 2015 and beyond.

The results are in!

July Satisfaction Survey Results

Every month we ask our customers to give us feedback on how we are doing in key areas, plus asking their overall satisfaction levels.  Below is our infographic showing the results for July.  We are really pleased that in areas such as ease of ordering and overall satisfaction we have improved since last month, and in July 100% of the customers asked said that ordering with us was easy and all would use us again.

If you have any comments or feedback to share with us please email us - we would love to hear from you!

Freddy Products Ltd raising money for Prostate Cancer UK

Freddy Products have been recycling coolant for over 50 years, with their iconic orange recycling vacuums.  As technologies change and machine workshops become more sophisticated, coolant still remains the life blood, which is why so many workshops find their Freddy indispensable. 

Recently Freddy Products held a promotion to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK.  Lisa Tomkins, Marketing Manager at Freddy Products, said “We raise money for charities throughout the year as a team, selling cakes for Jeans for Genes Day and running the Cancer Research UK Race for Life, we wanted to do something as a company.  1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives, which is why we wanted to raise awareness, and money.”

Freddy’s promotion, held on 14th June, was in line with the Father’s Day Campaign being held by Prostate Cancer UK, and Freddy’s customers were thoroughly supportive, raising over £500.

With the success of the Prostate Cancer UK campaign, Freddy are looking at holding more in the future, both for national and local charities. 

Why not take a look at the Freddy website today, where you can find details on the campaign, including facts and figures on both prostate cancer, the Father’s Day Campaign and a link to the Prostate Cancer UK website – where you can make a donation online.

To talk to Freddy call 01386 561113, email sales@freddy-products.co.uk or tweet us at @freddyproducts

Prostate Cancer UK is a charity registered in England and Wales 1005541 and in Scotland SC039332.

Recycling – the way forward for metal working fluids

Recycling – the way forward for metal working fluids

Freddy Products have been recycling coolant for over 50 years, but it is surprising how many companies that use coolant are not recycling it, a survey by the EEF in 2009 showed that less that 30% of the companies surveyed recycled swarf, and less than 10% recycled liquids and oily waste.  Freddy Products want to help change that.

Coolant is a vital part of the machining process, but unless it is treated correctly, it may cause health problems for operators and greatly increases tool wear.  Keeping it at its optimum can decrease these health and safety risks, and help to increase tool life.

So many companies simply dispose of coolant and replace it with new to ensure that coolant is kept at its optimum, but this is costly, both in terms of purchasing and disposal.

The UKLA say that approximately 400,000 tonnes of spent fluid is disposed of per annum in the UK alone.  The best way to deal with disposal costs, both financially and environmentally, is to avoid it’s creation in the first place.  A Freddy coolant recycling vacuum  recycles the coolant, keeping it at its optimum for longer, meaning that you purchase and dispose of less – carrying significant savings, both economically and environmentally.  With the cost of removing hazardous waste rising, and regulations governing the discharge of spent metal working fluids becoming more stringent, a Freddy is a cost effective solution.

All Freddy coolant recycling vacuums are manufactured in the UK, and Freddy is still a family run business. Despite manufacturing these vacuums for the past 50 years, Freddy is still an innovative business, creating solutions in various sectors, including aerospace and the automotive industries.  With customers very much at heart, Freddy recently started asking customers to take part in satisfaction surveys, and 100% of customers asked said they would recommend Freddy products.

 We have a range of coolant recycling vacuums, tramp oil separators and centrifuges to help with coolant management, all of which are available to view on our website.  We have distributors all around the world, just contact us and we will put you in touch with your local distributor.

To talk to Freddy about coolant recycling, tramp oil removal or centrifugation call +44 (0)1386 561113, email sales@freddy-products.co.uk or tweet us at @freddyproducts

Why use a filter bag?

How much can we save you on coolant disposal?

If you are only using your Freddy to remove coolant from sumps for disposal, you are missing out on the filtration and recycling benefits your Freddy vacuum offers.

Disposing and replacing used coolant can be expensive, so what if I were to tell you that if you use a filter bag with your Freddy, you could cut the amount of coolant you dispose of by half? 

All Freddy coolant vacuums have a two stage filtration system.  The filter bag and the filter basket.   Our filter bags range from 1000 microns to 5 microns.  Some of our customers will filter their coolant a few times to really get the benefit, firstly through a coarse filter bag and then again through a finer filter bag for the fines and tramp oil.  However, the bag you use is dependent on your application, so it is always best to talk to a Freddy specialist as to which bags are going to give you the maximum benefit.

 So why not make the most of your Freddy vacuum today and see how much you can save?


So which filter bag?

The filter bag you need will be dependent on the viscosity of the liquid you are using and the material you are machining.

If you are using neat oil or machining brass, cast iron or other heavy metals, we recommend a coarser bag, our standard recommendation is the 600 micron reusable bag, but we can go up to 1000 microns dependent on the thickness of the oil.

For general water based coolant, or lighter grade neat oils, we recommend a 200 micron reusable bag, but we can go down to 100 microns, dependent on the materials being used.

Once you have completed the first stage of filtration, which will remove swarf, chippings etc you can then repeat the process with a finer filter bag.  These range from 100 microns to 5 microns.  The benefit of this is the finer bag will remove smaller particulate, and help to remove any oil contaminants in the coolant, which the coarser bag will not remove.

Removing these smaller particulates will improve surface finish, extend coolant life, reduce the risk of skin problems and reduce downtime, for example a Freddy Ecovac could complete this entire process for a 200l sump in under 10 minutes.



Our range of filter bags is available online - click here to see the full range.