Nottinghamshire-based large format print business, Prosign Print and Display, is celebrating attaining not one but two prestigious ISO quality marks.

Going through the accreditation process was hard work, but the results speak for themselves. The company can now proudly boast to having both quality management standard ISO 9001 and environmental standard ISO 14001 - a huge achievement for this family run business. It was supported throughout the certification, by ISO specialists IMSM.

Prosign, based in Moorgreen, specialises in large format printing, point of sale material, packaging, exhibition and signage, and has more than 25 years’ experience in the field. Steve Hardy and his son Connor are Directors, while Steve’s wife, Angela, is Office Manager, heading up a team of 13.

The company has a number of high profile clients, including Rab, Lowe Alpine, Canon, Rolls Royce, Jet2, Oakley, Arai, Alpkit and Slimming World. Although it works directly with customers, it also offers a trade service to other printers who lack the equipment or knowledge of Prosign; its USP is to take difficult, or seemingly impossible, projects and turn them into fantastic printed material.

“It was my own passion for the environment and a desire to prove to myself that we were good enough that was the driver in getting the ISOs,” said Steve. “We have always had this sustainable approach, and constantly try to direct clients towards greener print options."

“Now we have achieved the certifications I can look back and see the huge benefits that it has brought to our business. ISO really does make you think about what you are doing and helps to change your mindset, which can very often get stuck in ways that you have just become accustomed to."

“We refer to the ISOs in all our marketing, and we bring it up with new customers as a reason why they should use us. It is an excellent sales tool!”

New ways of working have been introduced, thanks to ISO. For example, supplier orders have been consolidated, so Prosign now purchases more from one supplier, which cuts the number of daily deliveries, sometimes from four down to one. This not only reduces emissions but also to reduces the amount of downtime needed to unload one lorry compared to unloading four lorries coming from different suppliers.

Steve said: “We learnt that just because we have done something for so long and it works well doesn’t actually mean that it can’t work better, and ISO has helped us to identify these areas."

“We are now proudly flying our ISO flag very high and can confidently show that we are a company which cares not only about the quality that we produce but also about our environment, and the ways that we can help and advise our clients on reducing their environmental impact.”

Steve said IMSM had been instrumental in helping Prosign through the ISO process and now the ISOs are in place, their management and continuing conformance, is straightforward and also critical in keeping the business on track.