July Sabah Celebrates ISO 9001

July
July 13, 1998 | Volume 6, Number 7

Sabah Celebrates ISO 9001 Certification

By Jay Hipps

Sabah International CEO Michelle Sabah found herself stuck on a velcro wall as she celebrated their recent ISO 9001 certification.

Success in Fast Track Certification Program Rewarded with Party

July 2 was a day for celebration as Sabah International threw itself a party for achieving ISO 9001 certification. Sabah, a company specializing in design, installation, and service of advanced fire detection and suppression systems, completed a fast-track ISO program in just eight months.

"They tell me it typically takes from 12 to 18 months for a company to reach certification," says CEO Michelle Sabah. "We put in a lot of extra hours and weekends; a lot of hard work."

The company's new status means that it meets specific requirements set by the Swiss International Organization for Standardization, which publishes ISO standards to harmonize international requirements for trade. ISO 9001 certification means that a company's organizational structure, policies, procedures, and processes meet these standards.

"Our primary motivation for doing this was to improve and strengthen our company," she says. "We're growing very quickly and we felt like we really needed to revamp our quality system."

No Burning Issues Here

The company specializes in special hazard fire suppression and life safety systems. Sabah's fire suppression systems are popular in data centers and telecommunications facilities, in settings where using water to put out a fire would endanger valuable equipment.

"We use a chemical that is non-corrosive to the equipment and is non-toxic to humans," says Sabah.

The company also designs, manufactures, and installs detection and locating systems for hazardous chemicals.

"If there were a chemical leak somewhere in a facility, we would be able to say, 'You have a leak of this particular area and it's located 50 feet down this pipe," she explains.

Cause for Celebration

Their ISO 9001 registration was cause for celebration. On July 2, they closed the business for a day and brought in a host of carnival toys and games, including a human foosball game and a velcro wall.

The wall proved quite popular, as dozens of employees put on special jumpsuits, then hurled themselves at an inflated wall of velcro, where they stuck like glue.

"The party is my thanks to everybody for their hard work," says Sabah. "I know a lot of people who have tried to get ISO certification and haven't made it because they couldn't get the participation of their employees. Everybody worked hard; it was a real team effort."

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