As packaging is a very sensitive segment, integral to competition, quality, safety and efficiency aspects apply. Certification to ISO standards is very important in realizing these standards and is therefore a very important factor that organizations in the packaging supply chain need to consider. To B2B companies, knowing that ISO certification is crucial can greatly affect their company across the chain from a material procurer all the way to the customer. With reference to packaging firms, this article focuses on why the ISO certification is crucial and how firms in the supply chain value gain from the move.
What is ISO Certification?
It is an international standard that recognises that products and services are produced at standard quality, safety and efficiency as set down by ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) certification. Getting ISO certification is common for companies in the packaging industry; it is an acknowledgment that a company uses international standards to produce products, sourcing materials, and controlling the quality.
ISO certification for the packaging supply chain means that when businesses get into supply relations with such suppliers, the materials and products they receive are of high quality. This is more significant for operations that depend on high safety and hygiene in production and processing such as in food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.
Importance of Quality Assurance
Quality assurance as a factor in the packaging industry is a crucial factor. ISO certification basically offers guidelines that an organization can use in order to develop and sustain quality in all the activities of a firm. This certification makes it possible to monitor and control every degree of the packaging process that includes designing and manufacturing, distribution of the packets and many others.
For instance, if a business buys customized cake boxes, the business has to be sure that the boxes have no defects and are as strong as they should be, without any differences that could impact on the quality of the cake as it is placed in the boxes. ISO certification ensures that these standards are attained to a certain level, this eliminates cases of product recalls, dissatisfied customers, and possible legal cases.
Enhancing Supply Chain Efficiency
Swiftness is social in the packaging supply chain since any hold or constraint could lead to serious consequences. One of the advantages that come with ISO certification is the fact that everybody in the organization works to the organizational chart work as required by the standards hence eliminating inequality in the way work is done within the organization. That helps to reduce waste, cut costs of production and time, hence improving on general performance.
B2B industries therefore have the confidence of dealing with a packaging supplier who is under a ISO standard since delivery schedules and quality packaging material will not be compromised on. This reliability is important especially when orders are placed within very short notice, in industries such as events and promotion that may need custom made cake boxes. Through certifications, products of ISO suppliers are received accurately and within time meaning that businesses get the best they order.
Ensuring Safety and Compliance
The issue of safety and regulation cannot be overemphasized in the packaging sector; this is true more so when dealing with products such as foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals among other desirable products. By attaining an ISO certificate, the packaging companies have to meet compliance, safety, and other aspects that may be required making their products safe to use.
For instance, through ISO standards in food packaging one is assured that the materials used in packaging of foods are harmless once they come into contact with the food. This is essential in the production of custom cake boxes for instance because should the boxes be contaminated with such pathogens, their impact on human health is severe. This implies that any supplier that the company selects in order to provide packaging materials, must be proven to be ISO certified hence capable of providing packaging that goes further than meeting the necessary safety measures within the market.
Building Trust with Partners
The nature of the business of B2B relationships is based on the fact that trusting is a valuable asset in any economy. Certification from ISO is seen as an angel that denotes reliability where the packaging sector is concerned. When a company claims to be ISO certified, it basically explains that the company is serious about corporate responsibility and quality. The certification helps to build and enhance confidence among partners and clients with the company they are dealing with.
In the context of intensified competition in the packaging market, such trust may be a major factor that will provide a competitive advantage. For example, companies that require custom made cake boxes will solely prefer ISO certified suppliers because they are sure about the quality and standard of their preferred supplier. Inviting other companies to be part of a company’s supply chain means that the company trusts those companies, and this leads to better partner and long term business relations.
Competitive Advantage in the Market
Currently, the number of competitors is very high and ISO certification is a way of differentiating your business. The implementation of an ISO system by a company can be a great strategic advantage for the company as it can advertise the fact it meets international standards of quality and efficiency, and it complies with safety requirements. This can be a great sales pitch and can assist firms in the marketing of their companies and getting new clients and retaining them.
For instance, a packaging company that has to its name an ISO certification for instance, should make sure to fully incorporate details regarding this certification when selling custom cake boxes for instance, by pointing out that their custom cake boxes are ISO certified. This can be quite enticing especially for companies in industries that have some legal restraints in the production process or those industries that put a lot of emphasis on the quality of products they deal in.
In this packaging field, ISO certification is not a mere emblem of quality; it is one of the determinants of ascertaining a good and secure chain of packaging supply. For B2B industries, being aware of the meaning of ISO accreditation and identifying suppliers with ISO accreditation will be helpful for acquiring great benefits; such as, the quality is guaranteed, running efficiency is improved and the relationship of supplier is more closely related.
Since competitively fabricated custom made cake boxes and other varieties of packaging materials in the industry require superior quality, ISO certification gives consumers more confidence to deal only with certified companies. Companies that invest in ISO certification in their supply chain also want to assure their customers that they are leaders in quality and reliability than other competitors in the market.
Thus, this paper can conclude that the ISO certification reflects the trend in improving excellence in the packaging industry and provides the premises for the safety, efficiency and quality in the different stages of the companies’ supply chain.
