BAT Nigeria Receives ISO 9001:2015 Certification
The British America Tobacco (BAT) Nigeria Limited has received the ISO 9001:2015 certification from the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) for conforming to the Quality Management System standard.
The firm received the certificate recently during a courtesy visit and facility tour by officials of the SON at the company’s factory in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The certificate, which marked the organisation’s third certification by the agency has a validity period of three years.
Presenting the certificate, Director-General, SON, Mr Osita Aboloma, said the recognition was based on quality management system put in place by BAT Nigeria in improving the tobacco sector, stressing that the company had been playing remarkable role in securing a better regulated market to safeguard the life of consumers and sustain the livelihood of tobacco farms.
Aboloma, who was represented at the event by the Director, Management System Certification, SON, Mrs Oluremi Ayeni, noted that the certificate would provide the company a robust, globally-recognised and acceptable solution to address the challenges associated with consistently meeting business and regulatory requirements.
“The adoption of the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System framework therefore reflects commitment to one of your strategic goals geared towards continually operating at the highest standards of corporate conduct and transparency – benefitting governments, consumers and the environment”, Aboloma said.
He said the certification also ensured that the organisation would consistently provide products and services that meet requirements while managing the internal and external issues and addressing the risks and opportunities associated with tobacco and cigarettes sector.
However, the DG challenged the company to ensure its system remains effective and up to date in order to reap the benefits of ISO approach to quality management, noting that the agency had in place, a process of getting feedback from customers on the company’s performance.
Aboloma added: “This system having been re-certified has been placed on annual surveillance audits to track effectiveness. In the course of the audit exercises, where non-conformances are observed and are corrected within specified time frame, the system will retain the certificate. However, the certificate will be withdrawn if the structures in place for certification breaks down and necessary corrective actions are not taken on observed non-conformances.
“Being one of the very few certified in your professional segment in Nigeria, you will agree with me that your biggest challenge in this endless journey to excellence is to direct your efforts towards consistent quality product and service delivery in tobacco and cigarette manufacturing supply chain.”
He added that by the presentation of the certificate, the company had been adjudged as having a system that gives customers and interest parties assurance of its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet requirements.
He stated that BAT Nigeria’s focus on quality products and service delivery would also strengthen its competitive strategies, stressing that by its feat, it had retained its spot among a privileged class of quality management system certified organisations.
In his acceptance speech, Director, Area Operations, BAT Nigeria , Mr. Charles Kyalo, thanked the agency for presenting the “prestigious” certificate to the company.
“It is a great honour for BAT Nigeria to be considered worthy to be presented with this certificate and I believe this certification demonstrates our continuous effort to ensure that the best quality products are produced in our factory and buttress the fact that we are a company that consistently complies with industry regulations as provided by the authorities such as the SON,” Kyalo said.