Birn – the world’s first with all three certificates

Til redaktionen

Holstebro, 1. maj 2001

For the editorial staff

Holstebro, 1. May 2001

We e-mail a press release from the company Vald. Birn A/S in Holstebro, Denmark.
Vald. Birn A/S is a leading Danish company and it has obtained certification that it meets the most prominent international standards on quality, environmental management, and occupational health and safety

Text by journalist Flemming Hove.
Photography by photographer Ole Mortensen.
Text and photo are for use and publication free of charge.
The press release can also be viewed at: http://www.tilsted.com/presse/indhold

For further information please contact Vald. Birn A/S, Managing Director Christian Pedersen,
tel. +45 9910 2030

Kind regards

Bent Tilsted

Birn – the world’s first with all three certificates

Leading Danish company obtains certification that it meets the most prominent international standards on quality, environmental management, and occupational health and safety.

Vald. Birns Jernstøberi A/S and Vald. Birns Maskinfabrik A/S, located at Holstebro in the Danish mainland, is the world’s first company to obtain simultaneous certification under three internationally recognised standards of quality, environmental management, and occupational health and safety.
“There is every reason to be proud of this outstanding achievement. Vald. Birn A/S has set a world record by obtaining these three coveted certificates. We have seen other companies that were certified under two of these standards, but Birn has achieved all three and at the same time,” says Eddie Seamus Mogensen, Chief Auditor and Sector Manager of BVQI Denmark A/S, the accredited institute that has seen Vald. Birn A/S through to certification. With the QS 9000, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001 certificates, Vald. Birn A/S now possesses tangible proof of the following: The company’s iron foundry and machine shop meet all its customers needs and wants by focusing on zero-fault, just-in-time deliveries; the company ensures that impact on the environment receive maximum attention; and health and safety at work meet recognised standards.

Significant milestone

The companies of the Birn Group share a set of ambitious goals: All processes in all the companies must have minimum impact on the environment, preventive measures must be prioritised, and recyclability must be maximised. No wonder, therefore, that the Group’s Managing Director, Christian Pedersen, sees the three certificates as a significant milestone:
“Quality assurance has been an integral part of our management approach for more than 25 years. Our Quality System was approved under ISO 9002 in 1994, and since then we have further enhanced our system to qualify for QS 9000, a leading supplier standard developed jointly by Ford, Chrysler and General Motors. QS 9000 is viewed as the Rolls Royce among quality standards, and only some twenty Danish companies have qualified. We have reached this milestone thanks to a tremendous effort and commitment on the part of all our staff. This in turn means that we are now able to meet the ever increasing standards that are being introduced by our international customers, for instance in the automotive industry,” says Christian Pedersen.

Vald. Birn A/S received concrete evidence only a short while ago that the Group’s systematic and focused effort produces remarkable results. Grundfos, one of the world’s leading pump manufacturers, presented its “Supplier Award 2000” to Vald. Birn A/S among its 497 suppliers. Vald. Birn A/S is one of Grundfos’ largest pump house suppliers, and according to Poul Vesterbæk, Vice Group President and Managing Director of Grundfos, Vald. Birn A/S deserved the award because of its “sustained endeavours to accomplish continuous improvements, a high degree of flexibility, quality focus, readiness to accommodate change, know-how, and positive partnership approach.”

Fine-tuned

Eddie Seamus Mogensen of BVQI Denmark A/S is very impressed by the focused quality assurance efforts that the Birn Group has put into the process, and he readily characterises the companies as fine-tuned organisations.
“With these certificates, the companies of the Birn Group have received official proof that they will deliver the products and services that their customers order – in time, on the right location, and to exact specifications. In addition, in doing so the companies meet optimum standards for the environment and health and safety at work,” concludes Eddie Seamus Mogensen.