NOV. 14, 2018-- We’re excited to have reached the next milestone in our mission to accelerate the world’s transition to local, digital manufacturing: Ultimaker has earned certification against ISO 9001 for quality management and ISO 14001 for environmental management.
What do these certifications mean?
Both certifications are recognized globally as industry best practice in business management. They emphasize that Ultimaker isn’t just a 3D printer manufacturer, but a thoroughly qualified and trustworthy supplier of 3D printing solutions for professional and high-end applications.
ISO 9001:2015 benchmarks whether a holistic quality management system is embedded throughout the organization. It confirms Ultimaker’s ability to meet customer requirements. Risk-based operation, resilience to market changes, and the desire to continually improve are all taken into account. ISO 14001 assesses an organization’s commitment to environmental sustainability throughout the business.
Certified by BSI Group
We achieved these latest 2015 certifications in collaboration with BSI Group. The UK-based notified body is a founding member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and provided comprehensive guidance at every stage. They also conducted a rigorous audit across our headquarters and global subsidiaries. The independent, accredited auditors (who had backgrounds from the automotive industry, Philips, and ASML), were impressed that Ultimaker’s business management exceeded the required quality assurance and environmental measures.
This BSI kitemark is recognized worldwide. It indicates that its registered company is certified for the listed ISO standards, and conforms to industry best practice
Surpassing requirements
Business management procedures across every Ultimaker department were evaluated against a variety of factors for ISO 9001:2015 – from organizational risk to end-to-end supply chain management. After a thorough review, auditors found zero major non-conformities and one minor non-conformity.
Auditors commented that they had rarely experienced such a relatively young company achieve such a high degree of compliance.
Other highlights included the discovery that Ultimaker visually displays data in its attributive gage R&R. Although that sounds rather technical, it is simply a tool that measures percentage variation in a measurement system. The auditors had heard of this visual methodology and knew that it was ideal, but none had seen it implemented before. They were impressed that Ultimaker is leading in this best industry practice.
Okke Jansma, Auditor at BSI Group said, “This accomplishment showcases Ultimaker’s dedication to providing world-class customer experiences and products that also meet the highest standards of environmental management. We were particularly impressed by the company’s eagerness to improve and the clear maturity of its management system, which made for quick progress.”
Securing future growth
Receiving the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications, Jos Burger, CEO of Ultimaker, said, “Our exceptional achievements against these industry benchmarks highlight that customer satisfaction, risk management, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement are embedded in Ultimaker’s DNA. These certifications emphasize Ultimaker’s commitment to driving the adoption of desktop 3D printing in the enterprise.”
Marcel Buter, Ultimaker’s QA Compliance Manager who led the certification initiative, said, “Getting certified is only the beginning. Ultimaker will keep improving, strengthening our risk-based approach, and above all prioritizing our customers in all our actions.”
