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ScanX is proud to announce that we have been awarded certification to both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, recognising our commitment to quality, continual improvement and responsible environmental management.
The certifications were independently assessed and awarded by British Assessment Bureau, the UKAS-accredited certification body that forms part of the Amtivo Group. For ScanX, achieving these certifications represents the culmination of a significant amount of work behind the scenes and provides a formal framework for maintaining the standards we have always upheld.
For ScanX, the decision to pursue both certifications reflects two areas that have always been central to the business: providing an excellent experience for our customers and developing innovative ultrasound technology in a responsible way.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) develops internationally recognised standards that help organisations establish effective, consistent and continually improving ways of working. ISO 9001 focuses on quality management, while ISO 14001 focuses on environmental management. Both provide structure that organisations can use to improve their processes, manage risks and opportunities, meet relevant requirements and continually improve their performance.
Our certifications were awarded by British Assessment Bureau, a UKAS-accredited certification body and part of the Amtivo Group. This means our systems were independently assessed by qualified auditors to ensure they met the required ISO standards. The UKAS accreditation provides confidence that the certification process is impartial, thorough and internationally recognised.
For us, this independent assessment makes the achievement particularly meaningful. It shows that the systems and processes we have put in place have been examined and approved by an external organisation, rather than simply assessed internally.
ISO 9001 is the internationally recognised standard for Quality Management Systems. It helps organisations establish, implement, maintain and continually improve systems designed to consistently meet customer and applicable requirements.
At ScanX, quality has always been a priority. For more than 15 years, we have worked to provide exceptional customer service while providing and developing innovative technologies that serve real people and solve real-world problems. The ISO 9001 process gave us an opportunity to take a step back and examine how we achieve those things, identify where processes could be strengthened and put robust systems in place to support the next stage of our growth.
As our founder, Catherine Stowell, explains:
“The ISO certification process encouraged us to look at our business in new ways. For over 15 years, we have strived to offer the best customer service in the industry, and develop the most innovative technologies. By working through the ISO 9001 certification process, we have been able to put new systems in place which safeguard these foundations of our business, even as we grow.”
Growth brings new opportunities, but it can also make it harder to maintain consistency as a company becomes larger and its products, customers and internal processes become more complex. ISO 9001 gives us a framework to help ensure that the quality of our products, services and customer experience continues to develop alongside the business.
ISO 14001 is the internationally recognised standard for Environmental Management Systems. It provides a structured framework for organisations to understand and manage their environmental impacts, meet obligations and continually improve their environmental performance.
For ScanX, this certification has particular significance- our ultrasound technology is used by customers around the world, including farmers, conservation researchers and healthcare professionals. Many of these people are working directly with challenges that are increasingly affected by climate change, giving us an additional responsibility to consider the environmental impact of the decisions we make as a business.
Catherine explains:
“As we solve new problems and develop new ultrasound machines and software, we now have a framework within which we can operate, to ensure that we are always doing our best to protect our customers and the environment.”
Many of our clients are farmers, researchers working in conservation, or healthcare workers in areas of the globe which are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Even human doctors and small animal veterinarians in our own country are increasingly having to battle with health crises brought about by heatwaves and other extreme climate events.
We feel a responsibility beyond the ordinary to make environmentally responsible decisions, and the ISO 14001 certification journey has helped us to create processes to ensure that we do not make irresponsible choices, including in our decisions on packaging materials, travel decisions or global shipping choices.”
While the certificates themselves are the visible result, the real achievement is the work that went into earning them. Certification required us to examine how ScanX operates across many different areas of the business, documenting processes, reviewing risks, identifying opportunities for improvement and putting systems in place to ensure that the standards we set for ourselves can be maintained.
It has required time, attention and commitment from people across the company. There is a tendency to think of ISO certification as an administrative exercise, but for us it has been an opportunity to understand our business better and make meaningful improvements to the way we work. It has also challenged us to think beyond what we do today and consider how our systems need to evolve as ScanX grows.
Achieving ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification is not the end of the process. Both standards emphasise continual improvement, meaning we will continue to review, monitor and improve our systems over time.
For our customers, this means greater confidence that the processes supporting our products and services are structured, documented and independently assessed. For our team, it provides clearer systems and processes that can support us as we grow, while for our business it gives us a strong foundation for future development and helps us remain accountable for both the quality of what we deliver and the environmental impact of how we operate.
The certifications may also support our participation in future tenders and supply chains, where recognised quality and environmental management certifications can be an important requirement or preference. Most importantly, however, they formalise something that has been part of ScanX’s ambitions for many years: doing things properly, continually finding ways to improve and taking responsibility for the impact of our work.
We are incredibly proud to have achieved ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification. The achievement represents a considerable investment of time and effort from the ScanX team, and is a demonstration that the standards we set for ourselves are backed by robust systems, independent assessment and a commitment to continual improvement. As we look to the future, we will continue to develop innovative ultrasound technology, support our customers around the world and grow ScanX sustainably. These certifications give us a stronger framework from which to do all three.
