A DUBLIN firm that evaluates and certifies organisations complying with international standards is working with one of the world’s largest sushi bar chains, Heiroku Sushi, and now has almost 200 clients in Japan alone.
When a company wants to meet an international standard in a particular part of its business, Certification Europe assesses the firm against that benchmark. The firm provides certification and training services in quality management, environmental management, health and safety, IT service management, information security and energy management.
The Dublin firm certified Heiroku Sushi for quality management across its chain of 113 restaurants. Strong competition in the sushi market has led to restaurant chains trying to differentiate themselves from rivals by obtaining documented quality standards.
Certification Europe has had an office in Japan since 2002 and the market accounts for about 6 per cent of the company’s overall business, according to chief executive Michael Brophy.
Mr Brophy said he expects about 20 per cent growth there by the end of this year. In the last two months, the company’s Japanese customer base has increased by 10 per cent. “With an economy in Japan still facing a challenge, we would count that as pretty good success,” he said.
Despite the company’s name, the business has always had a focus beyond the European market, Mr Brophy said. “The recognition of standards within Europe is well respected in other parts of the world,” he said.
To meet growing international demand, Certification Europe has opened a new office every year for the last three years. The company has its headquarters in Ireland and offices in Italy, Turkey, and Japan. A fifth office is set to open in 2011, most likely in the UK.
Mr Brophy said the firm is always looking at new technologies to make its service more efficient. It is testing iPads to see if auditors and assessors can use its wireless networking features on a client’s site, with the aim of getting completed reports back to customers more quickly.
