Photo credit: One Hour Translation

As Kenya trends more and more towards being a player in the international commerce sector, a lot of businesses continue to seek ways to ensure their continuity and respectability both locally and abroad. A convenient way to do this is to get an ISO certification, which is well on its way to becoming a must have.

ISO certification can be beneficial to a logistics company by streamlining internal processes for maximum efficiency. The auditing and certification ensures that all your operations are optimized: such a certification is only awarded when companies operate in such a way that no resources are wasted in carrying out your business functions. This helps save money, which of course helps to widen the profit margin which is the ultimate goal of any business owner or manager. Having an ISO certification therefore means that your company is being the best that it can be.

A pleasant side effect of this streamlining process is the environmental impact it has for the company, and consequently, the community in which it operates. As mentioned, the ISO certification is a sign that the processes of a company have been determined to be at the utmost streamlined level. For a logistics company specifically, the potential to have an unfortunate environmental footprint is very high: poorly planned delivery routes mean more use of trucks which notoriously emit toxic exhaust fumes, as well as a waste of limited fuel resources to power planes, trains or ships going on unnecessary trips back and forth that could have been avoided with efficient planning and processes.

Photo credit: Michigan Tech

An ISO certification is also a mark of quality that gives your company legitimacy. Similar to the Kenya Bureau of Standards diamond mark of quality, an ISO certification is a tangible way for a company to reassure internal and external customers that your company is valid and efficient in it’s functions. It also confirms that resources pumped into the company by shareholders, staff and customers are being correctly used to the benefit of all parties. People generally prefer to work with a logistics firm that has been reviewed by a professional group set up to verify its functions. An ISO certification therefore gives your customers peace of mind.

It is well known that any company which does not grow begins to decline, and for logistics companies, the opportunities for growth are endless. Local firms can expand to serve more areas in the country while international shipping and freighting companies can advance into different countries around the globe. Having an ISO certification shows the world that you are a qualified entrant into the market, and have been vetted to show that you can be trusted to handle their business. An ISO certification therefore opens the door for access to new markets.

Along the same line, the firm also becomes more marketable in its pre-existing market, due to an increased sense of professionalism brought about by the ISO certification. This works to the supply chain managers’ advantage by giving them a competitive edge that helps attain more market share within their market as well.

From where we stand, ISO certifications, while a financially intensive exercise, can be considered investments for companies with intent to globalize and expand beyond their borders, as well as those wishing to operate on a higher, more exclusive level within their home nations. Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments whether you feel ISO certifications can be a building block for your company or otherwise. Wishing you all a wonderful week.