PING Europe Ltd has become the first British-based golf company to achieve ISO-9001 and ISO-14001 certification. Its certification comes less than a year after its sister-company, PING, based in Phoenix, Arizona, became the first US golf company to achieve this standard.
The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) is a world-wide federation, which was established in 1947 to define standards for businesses wanting to achieve a higher level of customer satisfaction. Achieving ISO-9001 and ISO-14001 certification indicates that PING has attained a level of business practice that no other golf company has matched.
The ISO-9001 designation relates to Quality Management Systems throughout the organisation and ensures products conform to customer requirements while the ISO-14001 certification was obtained as a result of PING’s commitment to being a responsible member of the community through its Environmental Management Systems.
“Most people are not familiar with ISO,” said John Solheim chairman and CEO of Ping, “but several industries, including aerospace, require their suppliers to be compliant. It’s a standard for doing business. Nobody is asking us to be compliant. We’re raising our standards because golfers ultimately decide the fate of the products. Customer satisfaction will be the programme’s greatest benefit.”
Gainsborough Golf Club, which is owned by PING Europe Limited, also achieved ISO Certification Status at the same time as the factory. It is believed Gainsborough is the first Golf Club to be awarded this prestigious certification.
John Clark, managing director of PING Europe said, “It was important as a global brand for us to follow Phoenix in becoming ISO Certified – we make the same clubs with the same quality. We wanted to include the Golf Club because it represents a total company commitment to quality and continuous improvement.”
Ping Europe www.pingeurope.co.uk