Radici Chimica, a fully certified company focused on business continuity

ISO 9001 and 14001 certification updated to ISO 2015, OHSAS 18001 renewed and a new milestone achieved: ISO 50001

The year started off with ISO 50001 energy management certification aimed at improving energy performance and progressively reducing energy consumption, followed by – just a few weeks ago –the renewal of two management system certificates: ISO 9001 for Quality Management Systems and ISO 14001 for Environmental Management Systems. Both certificates were renewed and concurrently updated to the 2015 standard. Also performed was the triennial re-certification to OHSAS 18001 for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.

“Radici Chimica has adopted a continuous improvement approach,” Stefano Alini, corporate quality manager of RadiciGroup, stressed. “Our shareholders’ strong commitment, reaffirmed by the Group Policy for Quality, Environment, Health and Safety, is what drives the Novara plant and all the other Group production sites to constantly strive for ambitious goals, which may, in turn, serve as the basis and motivation for new challenges.”

“Moreover,” Mr. Alini continued, “transitioning to the 2015 version of the ISO 9001 and 14001 standards has required a change in structure: we’ve gone from a rules-based to a results-based system. This implies a greater focus on goals as indicators for improvement and performance evaluation.” The transition to the updated ISO standards provides the opportunity to revamp the management systems (and not only for certification purposes) into a useful tool the organization can rely on to ensure the adequacy and consistency of internal processes and dynamics in a continually changing business environment.

Still another significant aspect to consider is that the various management systems are integrated into one system based on a common framework called HIGH LEVEL STRUCTURE, which takes into account the context of the organization, risk assessment and opportunities, leadership, planning, documented information and knowledge management. This strategic approach is implemented to improve the company’s overall performance and continual sustainable growth, ensuring business continuity and achieving harmony with all its stakeholders.

Radici Chimica – a company that has always operated in accordance with the requirements of the law –  has been ISO:14001-certified since 2009. Among its tangible actions in the field of environmental protection and safety during the 2010 to 2015 period was, foremost, a further 77% reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions, which was achieved through substantial investments in new abatement technologies and better performing systems.

Until the abovementioned certification update, Radici Partecipazioni SpA, the RadiciGroup parent company, was the only Group company with ISO 9001:2015 certification (obtained in 2016). Radici Chimica – certified since 1994 – has thus become the first Group production site to attain certification to the new 2015 edition of the standard and will serve as the model for all other Group production sites, which must update their certification to the new ISO 2015 version by 2018.

The Introduction to ISO 9001:2015 states: “The adoption of a quality management system ought to be a strategic decision for an organization. A robust quality management system can help an organization to improve its overall performance and forms an integral component of sustainable development initiatives.” This objective perfectly coincides with the sustainability strategy of RadiciGroup.

The fact that its various management systems have become more interrelated allows RadiciGroup to optimize its processes and strengthen its vertically integrated production chain, thus increasing overall effectiveness and efficiency.

“I think that our achievements, as well as the ever increasingly ambitious goals we set for ourselves and intend to pursue, are made possible by the teamwork of all our employees, from our factory workers to our office workers, up to the plant manager,” said Maurizio Radici, vice president of RadiciGroup.

“Our Group is constantly making new investments to strengthen the ‘culture’ of quality, environment, occupational health and safety, and our employees put themselves in the game everyday to make RadiciGroup a reliable and innovative partner that safeguards resources and wealth, so that future generations will also be able to utilize them.”