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Gloucester print company given ISO quality and environment stamps of approval

Gloucester print specialist company Alpha Colour Printers has been given a globally recognised thumbs-up from the International Standards Organisation for maintaining high standards of quality and environmental awareness.

Alpha Colour was inspected by assessors from Certification International (UK) Ltd to see if the company came up to scratch on ISO 9001:2000 quality guidelines and ISO 14001:2004 environmental standards and passed with flying colours.

Certification International spokesman Emma Ford-Jones said Alpha Colour Printers is one of the first printing companies in the UK to meet these tough ISO standards.

The ISO accreditations give existing and potential customers reliable independent assurance that the company works to the highest standards of work quality and environmental husbandry.

David Oldfield, Alpha Colour’s Quality Assurance Manager, said: “This is a fantastic endorsement of Alpha Colour Printers on two clear fronts, and highlights the quality of our work and the commitment of the whole team here. It’s a wonderful achievement that we can all be proud of.

“We have always tried to recognise that, in maintaining high quality of work, we also need to have a responsible attitude to the way our work might affect the environment and to minimise that impact.

“Although we are a well recognised company in the South West we are still very much a family-run business and this is reflected in these two certification awards.”

ISO 9001:2000 is the internationally recognised standard for an organisation’s internal Quality Management in delivering its service to its customers. Certification is often necessary to qualify for a tender or to achieve preferred supplier status - typically for local authorities.

ISO 14001:2004 is the internationally recognised standard for an organisation’s internal environmental management in the conduct of its business. It’s designed to cover the entire spectrum of environmental issues for organisations in the global market place.

Focusing on the issues that really matter, ISO 14001:2004 is designed to help companies achieve consistent environmental regulatory compliance whilst embedding the concept of continuous improvements in environmental performance.

Alpha Colour Printers has earned an excellent reputation in Gloucester and across the UK, winning them some huge clients, including regional and international blue chip companies and government organisations. They use Alpha to print greetings cards, brochures, leaflets, posters, and stationery, annual and financial reports.

Founded 26 years ago in the centre of Gloucester, the company has seen exceptional growth, settling into its current purpose-built Quedgeley site in 2001. The company recently invested £600,000 in a new 10,000-sq.ft distribution and storage facility, enabling Alpha to store over 3,200 pallets of printed materials.

“Our current site in Waterwells Business Park enables us to be more efficient than ever before - we keep up with technology, invest in high quality, purpose-built buildings and continually strive to improve and refine the operation,” says David Oldfield. “We’re always looking to improve and we never rest on our laurels.”