London (UK), March 2009 - Following a process lasting almost two years, the organizational-development consultancy Echelon has become one of the first in its field to be awarded the internationally recognized ISO 9001: 2008 quality-assurance accreditation. Its work processes have been accredited, making it one of the first service providers in the UK to achieve this version of ISO 9001, which updates and replaces the 2000 version.
Alistair Morrison, CEO of Echelon, comments: "We are delighted to achieve accreditation, gaining recognition for our commitment to quality and to continuous improvement. We are proud to join over 500,000 organizations across the globe that have established ISO 9001 as the preferred quality-assurance standard."
"In working towards this award, we have analyzed and challenged every aspect of Echelon's operations, involving every employee and a number of clients. This has resulted in many improvements to both what we do and how we do it. We are particularly pleased to have been given this accolade at our first attempt", he adds.
The award was made through Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance (LRQA), a world leader in assessing businesses process and products against internationally recognized standards. LRQA emphasizes that ISO 9001: 2008 focuses on processes and customer satisfaction rather than procedures and so is equally applicable to service providers, such as Echelon, as well as to manufacturers.
