Quality is key for client peace of mind and continued success
08 January 2010
Quality Management in construction is becoming as critical as the principles of Health Safety and Environment, and furthermore, South Africa is in the midst of an industry wide-shift which seeks new opportunities to use quality management throughout the various development stages of construction projects.
This is according to John da Silva, CEO of the Cosira Group, one of South Africa's largest fabricators of structural steel.
“The Group has for many years recognised the importance of a rigorous Quality Management System (QMS) to complement its stringent and consistent health and safety standards with a Zero Harm philosophy that is at the basis of all the Group’s operations,” da Silva points out.
He adds that the Cosira Group embraces this goal of Zero Harm in terms of safety, health and environmental issues; and strives to go beyond compliance with regulations, as well as entrenching a company-wide competency in these areas.
“This is apparent through the appointment of a full-time safety representatives dedicated to this task, both in the manufacturing facilities and on construction sites. However is it becoming more apparent that safety and quality cannot be separated and moreover at all times should in fact go hand-in-hand,” da Silva continues.
According to Sakkie van Vuuren, Quality Manager at Cosira, the Cosira Quality Management System, is in accordance with nationwide industry standards and greatly influences the Zero Defect policy.
“Cosira’s Quality Management, which is monitored through a highly sophisticated Business Management System (EBMS), provides an overall view of all operations throughout the company,” he says. “This year the system was exposed to another tri-annual assessment where external auditors reviewed the Group’s various business units. In addition, the company employs a full team of inspectors to review each and every area of operation, particularly in the factory and on site,” adds van Vuuren.
Van Vuuren is responsible for ongoing Quality training, ensuring the control of physical quality of materials, and also ensuring the compliance of structures on site once erected.
“Cosira’s Quality Management System has to be as accurate as possible,” says van Vuuren. “At anytime, the company will have several projects running on various sites and there can be no tolerance for non-compliance,” van Vuuren points out. “This is how strongly quality impacts on safety,” he adds.
Cosira aims to achieve SABS ISO9001 accreditation for their Vulcania operations during 2010. All Cosira Operation in Heriotdale were audit by the SABS during October 2009 and the ISO 9001:2008 accreditation was confirmed for the next three years at these facilities.
Van Vuuren says that the company currently holds a 3 Star IRCA award, and is audited again every year as part of their three-year commitment to IRCA IRS auditing schedule. This entails an external audit by the IRCA auditors, as well as a full SABS audit once a year to ensure compliance with the ISO9001:2008 standard..
“Quality requires absolute commitment, and given that SHERQ is often about changing mindsets to change behavior, Cosira have actively put strategies in place to ensure that, from top to bottom, the company culture embraces an awareness for quality, as well as maintaining a zero tolerance policy towards the release of non compliance product at all times which is paramount,” he emphasises.
“We believe that our stringent quality control system gives the Cosira Group the competitive advantage during the tendering process,” says van Vuuren.
“It is also of the utmost importance to us, that our clients believe in what we do, and that it becomes a well-known fact that quality lies at the core of all our operations,” concludes Cosira Group CEO, John da Silva.