PORT OF CORK ONE OF 20 COMPANIES TO ACHIEVE CERTIFICATION TO WORLD CLASS BUSINESS STANDARDS

20 organisations from the private, public and SME sectors gathered at NSAI (National Standards Authority of Ireland) offices in Dublin today for a special ceremony marking their achievement in becoming certified to world class business standards. The companies are located throughout the country and include the Port of Cork Company, Brakes Ltd, FLI Global Ltd, Pobal, Gem Construction, Boland Steel and Whytes Concrete Ltd.   

All of the businesses and bodies that achieved certification were independently audited by NSAI inspectors in order to ensure they complied with the international standards.

The certification is a recognition of the work and effort the Port of Cork has put in and underlines their commitment to working towards best practice.

The ISO management system approach and certification, helps the Port of Cork to improve performance by:

     • The Port of Cork’s largest electrical consumer at Tivoli Container Terminal is the handling and storage of refrigerated containers. ISO 50,001 preparedness allowed local data loggers to be trialled and weekly graphing of energy consumption. This provided timely intervention regarding Power Factor Correction Bank efficiency on our STS (Ship to Shore) Cranes and Substations, allowing for reduced mains demand and reducing wattless energy losses along with excess charges. In addition it provides us with a base line and a comparison going forward.         

Further ongoing energy reduction projects the POCC are committed to include:

•                     Retro-fit of LED lighting on our full fleet of Container Handling Equipment

•                     Change out from mains supply public pier lighting to PV (Solar)

•                     Commencement of upgrade to Shipping Navigational aids (Allowing safe navigation of vessels within our Harbour) from battery filament lamps to solar LED

They join an elite group of over 3,000 organisations who are currently NSAI-certified in a variety of areas such as Quality Management Systems, Environmental Management Systems, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems and Energy Management. 

Brendan Keating, Chief Executive of the Port of Cork said: ‘We are very proud to achieve this certification and equally proud of our employees who ensure we succeed in reaching such high standards. We pride ourselves on being a world class port with world class facilities and to be recognised as having world class business standards is an honour.’

Speaking at the ceremony, NSAI Chief Executive Geraldine Larkin said achieving certification to world class business standards will give these organisations an advantage – both at home and abroad.

“Many of the companies gathered here today are being certified to two, three or in some cases, to four standards and I am delighted to see this type of commitment.  You can see the real difference standards have made to your business and you have reaped rewards from these benefits. Not only have you gained competitive advantage – improving efficiency, reducing costs and minimising waste – your industries will continue to benefit because of your investment,” said Ms Larkin.

“At a time of increased globalization, Brexit negotiations and more and more international trade deals, it is essential for Irish industry to be as competitive as it can be. It is encouraging to see so many companies here today that are committed to working towards best practice. You are demonstrating that Ireland is one of the best places in the world to do business and that Irish and Irish based companies can compete at the highest level,” she added.

Organisations can contribute their knowledge, ideas and help build the standards of the future through becoming involved with standards development. Become a member of a volunteer committee, comment on or view a draft standard at NSAI.ie. 

For further information, visit NSAI.ie or follow us on Twitter @NSAI_Standards