FIVE WEST MIDLANDS COMPANIES FIRST TO BE CERTIFIED WITH NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY STANDARD
29 November 2007, Four Birmingham companies and one from Coventry were the first in the country to be certified to the Accredit UK standard. The companies were presented with their certificates at the ICT Cluster Conference on 22 November.
The Accredit UK standard is another indication of the thriving West Midlands technology sector. The West Midlands has been selected as the only region to pilot the standard which has been developed with the National Computing Centre.
The Standard has been developed to help businesses to identify which technology companies will provide an honest, reliable and efficient service. For the last 18 months, Accredit UK has been piloting the standard with 14 companies and these five passed with flying.
The companies, CDI Group Plc, HS Dataline, Computaccount, Active Communications and Discovery Cabling Solutions, are leading the way for the whole IT industry. They are trailblazers in the world of quality.
CDI Group is a major UK network service installation company based in the heart of Birmingham. They are a recognised installer of quality, value-for-money systems and are an approved partner for leading cable manufacturers. They already have ISO 9001. Colin Parker, Integrated Management Systems Manager, views Accredit UK as a certification which demonstrates which companies are the best of bunch. He added: “In our case, the certification helps to demonstrate that we understand our clients’ needs fully. The certification is a natural next step for our business. We also believe that purchasers will have real confidence in the quality of Accredit UK certified company’s products, their product knowledge and service provision.
The Accredit UK Assessor said: “CDI Group are a business with a strong quality and growth culture. Staff are managed using robust systems and procedures and there is an internal focus on providing a high level of customer service.”
HS Dataline is a network infrastructure company. It has an impressive customer base, such as well known high street and blue chip companies, which has been built up over the last 30 years and is a reflection of the service they provide. Indeed, HS Dataline is one of the oldest networking companies in the West Midlands.
Phil Blackmore, Managing Director, said: “We have a number of certifications already and we are extremely proud of this one as we have been instrumental in developing it. Now that we have Accredit UK, we believe that our existing and future customers will have even more confidence in our services.”
The Accredit UK Assessor said:
“HS Dataline are currently engaged in process improvement in a number of areas including health and safety. These improvements are aimed at ensuring the organisation maximises its opportunities whilst maintaining the agility they currently benefit from.”
Computaccount is the first of Accredit UK’s certified companies to operate across a number of different activities within computing sector. Computaccount is a growing company which aims to provide a complete end-to-end technology service including cabling, training, consultancy and repairs. Mandy Jobanputra, Manager and Company Secretary, views Accredit UK as an invaluable addition to the IT industry, and one which will help all aspects of the company’s operation. “Computaccount wants to gain competition advantage and this standard will certainly help. With this certification, we can say that we are the best of the best and our customers can rely on us.”
The Accredit UK Assessor said: “Computaccount has a strong positive team based culture that ensures its key objective’s of providing excellent customer service, working with integrity, honesty and transparency are carried out consistently throughout the organisation. This is evidence by the high percentage of repeat business the company achieves.”
Active Communications is the only none Birmingham based company to gain the accreditation. Based in Coventry and have adopted a mission of becoming one of the Midland's leading providers of high quality computer and network cabling services. They achieve their mission by providing economical, reliable and customised solutions that will increase efficiency and productivity. They have a number of industry Certifications and previously held ISO 9001. Peter Jacobs, Director, said: “We view Accredit UK as being a modern, flexible standard for a modern, flexible industry, and are already seeing improvements to our business”.
The Accredit UK Assessor said: “Active Communications is founded on a sound business model and benefits from the high level of visibility that the two Directors provide as role models.”
The final company to be certified is Discovery Cabling Solutions, which is a market leader in providing cabling solutions for all sizes of companies and organisations. They install voice, data and electrical cabling, and provide many other types of services for a variety of leading companies throughout the UK. “Accredit UK adds to our existing certification, such as MOLEX Premise Networks, Accredited Excel Cabling partner. The new Accredit UK standard will hopefully become a proven benchmark and help purchasers to recognise companies that have gone through a rigourous certification process, commented Ken Bull, Director.
The Accredit UK Assessor said: “Discovery Cabling Solutions is entering a phase of significant planned growth nationally. We have clients all over the country, grow client base and just moved offices due to growth.”
ABOUT ACCREDIT UK:
Accredit UK will help businesses use and trust IT solutions. It is a quality mark that promotes trust in IT and helps suppliers prove their excellence. It will prove to potential IT purchasers that companies holding the mark operate with appropriately skilled people and clearly defined processes, and that they have a track record of meeting customers’ expectations.
Accredit UK is being created by the National Computing Centre as part of a three-year pilot in the West Midlands, prior to a national roll-out. The pilot is joint-funded by the NCC, Advantage West Midlands and the European Regional Development Fund.
For more information please consult the Accredit UK website at: www.accredituk.com or contact: