The ISO 9001 Award provides the relevant issues of quality and gives access for attainment of levels of market share that ensure standards are followed role of standards remain viable and important in the determination of local and international export trade.

This was the view of Engr. Oluremi Ayeni last week in Lagos while presenting the NIS ISO 9001:2000 Certificate to Afrab-Chem Ltd. Ayeni, who is Director, Chemical technical Group of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) said the giant stride attained by Afrab-Chem was indicative of the level of team spirit and vision to continue to expand the big opportunities.

MD Afrab- Chem Ltd, Mr Darwish Foudeh, receiving theNIS ISO 9001: 2000 Certificate from Engr. Oluremi Ayeni, Director, Chemical Technology Group of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) last week in Lagos. Photo: Diran Oshe.

Presenting the coverted certificate to the Chief Executive Officer, Afrab-Chem, Mr. Darwish Foudah, on behalf of the SON Director General, Dr. John Ndanusa Akanya, Ayeni gave a clarion call to all companies to look at the opportunities provided by the ISO certification to respond to the challenges of globalisation

Her words: "An organisation without an enduring and reliable system cannot survive for long. the NIS 9001:2000 is the standard key for competitionas well as for achieving successful business results."

Responding, Foudah described the Award as the quality edge.

Noting that the relevance of quality achievement cannot be overemphasised in the focus of customer satisfaction, said the recognition would spur the company to even greater heights in the bit to achieve universal customer satisfaction.

However, the CEO noted that the certification would not pose ant extra challenge as the company was already attuned to maintaining high qiality standards demanded in the industry. Foudah agreed that quality had, indeed, gone beyond physical and chemical attributes to include all the parameters of a product.