Two UniFirst Plants Get ISO Certification

UniFirst Corp. plants in Syracuse and nearby Liverpool, NY, recently received certification with ISO 9001:2008, according to a local news report.

Issued by the International Organization for Standardization, ISO certification represents global recognition of a company’s ability to meet specified quality standards, according to a news release. For UniFirst, based in Wilmington, MA; the certification means that customers of its uniform rental programs and other services can expect their providers to consistently meet ISO standards for the delivery of high-quality products.

In 2011, UniFirst announced plans to certify all of its customer-servicing plants, including subsidiaries, to the ISO standard. Currently, the company has certified 90 of those plants, according to Adam Soreff, director of marketing. The remaining plants will complete their ISO certifications in the coming months, he said. 

The process of certifying a plant normally takes roughly five months. In that time, managers develop policies and procedures designed to maximize productivity and efficiency. At the same time, quality standards are formally documented and implemented. All operational protocols are then incorporated into employee-training programs, and notifications are sent to applicable vendors mandating their compliance with ISO standards set for UniFirst. Ultimately, auditors must confirm the validity of each location’s quality-control program and ensure that benchmarks are set and achieved. Click here to learn more.