QuESH
Quality
A focus on quality is critical to any company wishing to be successful, and our core objective is to exceed expectations.
We feel that the key to this is to constantly seek ways to improve what we do and how we do it, whether that be in terms of delivery, customer focus or our manufacturing process.
To demonstrate our commitment, we have invested heavily in our accreditations, including: –
- Quality Management BS EN ISO 9001: 2015
- BS EN 1090 CE Marking – Execution Class 2
- Environmental Management BS EN ISO 14001:2015
Perhaps more importantly, however, we are also delighted to have won customer awards for our performance.
Each aspect of our business, from pre-Contract to final installation/delivery, is completely focused on providing clients with the highest quality service, design, build and fit.
health and safety
General
As a manufacturer, we are enormously aware of the risks that are inherent to the industry in which we operate.
For this reason, we invest continually in the training of our staff to ensure the safety of both themselves and the people around them. Everything we do is planned to be safe.
Our Directors have all undergone significant risk training, and our QuESH Manager is NEBOSH qualified. All site personnel carry CSCS cards, with supervisors and managers carrying SSSTS.
We are accredited to Constructionline Gold and SMAS Worksafe.
health and safety
in the works
Our workshop floor carries a wide range of risks, including heavy machinery, tools, and materials, so keeping our staff safe and well is an ongoing priority.
We firmly believe that the better the training, the safer the employee.
Therefore, and to mitigate risk, our works staff all receive formal training as part of our in-depth training matrix in all aspects of their responsibilities.
Additionally, all shop floor machinery and hand tools undergo a formal and regularly updated risk assessment by our QuESH manager to assist with our operator training.
health and safety on site
Ultimet Project Management, Delivery and Installation teams fully recognise their wider responsibilities whilst on site and we are fully committed to best practice guidelines.
Safe installation must be planned from the design stage. We take time to consider every aspect, from manufacture, to delivery and installation. Our highly trained and experienced teams then work to approved method statements, which mitigate risks and ensure a safe and secure installation process.
environment
As with every business, we know that our activities will have adverse impacts on our environment.
Whilst our impact is relatively minor, it cannot be ignored. We believe that it’s important to accept responsibility for what we do, and then take all practical measures to reduce or mitigate any negative effects.
Our accreditation to: –
Environmental Management BS EN ISO 14001:2015
has helped us better understand our processes. We now assess our overall operations and take measures to minimise our waste and emissions, recycle more efficiently, focus on energy efficiency when buying machinery, and fuel efficiency in vehicles.
CE compliance in
structural fabrication
Since 2014 it has been law that structural products, materials, and fabrications are required to be CE marked and certified. Despite this, many steelworkers and fabricators remain uncertified for structural works and the potential for shoddy practices/workmanship in critical applications remains.
The harmonised standard that covers structural steelwork is BS EN 1090: EXECUTION OF STEEL AND ALUMINIUM STRUCTURES.
Ultimet has undergone a rigorous testing procedure to obtain accreditation for this compliance, and is certified to produce fabricated steel, and stainless steel to Execution Class 2.
(Whilst each building and structure should be considered on its own merits, Execution Class 2 is appropriate for most buildings that are constructed in the UK.)
For us to achieve this certification, we are required to have the following in place:
• An appointed responsible welding coordinator
• An approved Factory Production Control (FPC) system and procedures
• An approved Welding Quality Management System (WQMS)
We have undertaken external testing of our welding procedures for all materials, as well as testing of the welds themselves. Our fabricators are re-tested on our procedures every 2 years to ensure that we remain compliant.
We are assessed on all aspects of this each year by our notified body and then issued with our FPC certificate and Welding Certificate, which identifies our approved Execution Class.
Although obtaining this accreditation is not easy, and the auditing procedure rigorous, it does allow our customers to be 100% confident that our procedures are the best that they can be.
It is the responsibility of everyone involved in the procurement and manufacturing of structural metalwork to ensure that the product they are installing is well made, compliant and, most of all, safe.
apprenticeships and training
Training is fundamental to our improvement and development,
and critical to keeping everyone safe, so we take it very seriously.
When we first started our apprenticeship programme, it was important that we find young people who are enthusiastic, determined, and inquisitive.
Curiosity is not something that can be taught, but we have found
it to be a critical quality when training an apprentice.
Our programme is now proven to be highly effective at developing our next generation of fabricators, as well as providing a great way for our highly skilled fabricators to pass on their artisanal skills. We highly recommend it!
Sustainability
As a supplier to the construction industry, we understand and embrace the importance of material sustainability. The good news for us is that this is an area in which metals already excel.
There is a general misconception that because the ores used to create metal products are mined, we must be depleting the Earth’s natural resources when we utilise them in our lives and products.
Whilst we are not complacent, and its certainly true that much more can be done to improve the carbon footprint of most metals (and there are now many programmes, such as Net Zero Steel, which are exploring just that), when viewed from a pure sustainability perspective the reality is that metals are amazing.
They don’t disappear when their useful life as a product comes to an end, they simply change their form and location through infinite recycling. This makes metals completely unlike materials such as wood or plastic, which generally end up in landfill once they have reached the end of their aesthetically useful life.
Metal is only ever used; it is never consumed. The planets overall stock of metallic elements does not decrease at all.
Accreditations
As part of our overall dedication to quality and improvement,
we are always seeking to add new accreditations to our portfolio.
We are pleased to have achieved the following:
• BS EN 1090 CE Marking – Execution Class 2 (Mild and Stainless steels)
• Quality Management BS EN ISO 9001: 2015
• Environmental Management BS EN ISO 14001:2015
• SMAS Worksafe
If you would like further information on any of our accreditations, then please don’t hesitate to contact us.
“Almost all quality improvement comes via simplification.”
Ultimet Alloys Ltd
Units 2, 3 & 4 Cloverlay
Industrial Estate
Canterbury Lane
Rainham
Kent ME8 8GL
enquiries@ultimetalloys.com
01634 232666
