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By Henry Umahi
For the management and staff of Mikano Group and its subsidiaries, Thursday, September 28, 2023, was a day to remember. That day, Afrimedical Manufacturing and Supplies Limited, one of the divisions of the Mikano Group, received the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Certification from the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) at its plant in Ogun State.
In his welcome address, the deputy managing director, Mikano International Limited, Mr Ziad Zayed, said: “Afrimedical is the medical division of Mikano International and our commitment to excellence has always been the cornerstone of our success. We have strived tirelessly to maintain the highest standards in every aspect of our business, and today, we proudly stand on the threshold of international recognition to celebrate the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Certification.
“This certification signifies that our processes and systems meet the rigorous standards set forth by the International Organization for Standardization. It reaffirms our pledge to continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.
“We could not have reached this significant milestone without the dedication and passion of our incredible team and I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to each and every one of you. Today, as we celebrate this prestigious certification, let it serve as a reminder of our unwavering commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction. Let it inspire us to continue pushing the boundaries of excellence in all that we do.”
Thereafter, Mrs Nene Obianwu, Assistant Director, Management System Certification, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), read the company’s profile, and presented it for the award of certificate number 0000797 for the conformity of its quality.
She said: “Afrimedical Manufacturing and Supplies Limited is a sister company of Mikano International Limited established on 23rd February 2021 to furnish the health care industry with safe and reliable consumables there by providing healthcare solutions to Africa’s health needs and saving lives.
The patent for disposable syringes was first obtained by Colin Murdoch in 1956 followed by the introduction of plastic disposable syringes in 1961 by Becton Dickson which paved the way for manufacturing of medical consumables.
“Afrimedical Manufacturing and Supplies Limited is one of the foremost providers of medical solutions, that helps in the protection against virus-related infections, for medical institutions and professionals across Nigeria and Africa. The objectives of the organisation are to provide operational excellence in compliance with applicable regulations while supplying exceptionally reliable medical consumables to maximized customer’s satisfaction and continually improve to enhance customer’s satisfaction.
“The organisation’s commitment extends beyond medical supplies to empathy and compassion towards all who need medical health care services. The manufacturing of the medical devices is undertaken at the state of the art factory here in Karameh Industrial City, 1B Westerner Industrial Avenue, Ifo, Isheri. Ogun State.
“Afrimedical Manufacturing and Supplies currently produces surgical & KN95 facemask, Sterile Hypodermic Syringes (2ml, 3ml, 5ml & 10ml) & Auto disable Immunization Syringes (0.5ml).
“The Afrimedical sought for ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Standard certification from Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on 7th July 2023. In order to implement QMS in their system, adequate plans were made, personnel were trained, resources were provided and procedures were put in place in accordance with the requirements of the quality management system standard ISO 9001:2015 by the Organisation.
“Afrimedical system was subjected to rigorous certification assessment by SON auditors and at the end of the assessment, the system was adjudged to have conformed to the requirements of the ISO 9001:2015 standard.
“Director General Sir, in accordance with the Management System Certification procedure established by Standards Organisation of Nigeria that is aligned with ISO 17021, IAF guidelines and our assessor, I hereby present to you Afrimedical Manufacturing and Supplies Limited for the award of this certificate number 0000797 for the conformity of its Quality Management System to the requirements of the ISO 9001:2015 Standard.”
In his speech, the Director General of SON, Mallam Farouk A. Salim, said he was delighted to be part of the remarkable occasion at which Afrimedical Manufacturing and Supplies Limited was formally presented with certificate of conformity to the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System Standard.
Salim, who was represented by Eng. Obiageli Egbuciem, said: “By this achievement, your organisation has joined a few privileged class of ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certified organisations in the medical device manufacturing sector in Nigeria. This milestone achievement in the pursuit of service excellence is commendable and worthy of emulation by all service providers in Nigeria.
“This ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management System Standard provides you with an opportunity and frameworks to satisfy your customers and retain their loyalty for long-term revenue and profitability. You can attest to the fact that your ability to formalized your operational system that document processes, procedures, and responsibilities for achieving quality policies and objectives recommended by the standard has strengthened your process efficiency, organizational culture, regulatory compliance, optimize continuous improvement efforts, and adopt data for evidence-based decision making to ensure customer satisfaction.
“The medical device manufacturing sector in which your organisation operates is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by changing end-user requirements and global trends. The changes in the medical devices manufacturing sector, the pandemic inclusive are significant but also bring a host of new opportunities as well as a range of new challenges.
Therefore, adopting a more innovate approach which ISO 9001:2015 standard provides will help your organisation navigate through the period of continuous disruption, help it gain competitive advantage through greater responsiveness to customer demands, faster turnaround times and reduced downtime. Implementing the ISO 9001:2015 system certification is a demonstration of your management system’s conformity to internationally acceptable standard requirements and the ability of Afrimedical Manufacturing and Supplies Limited to get it right the first time and always.
“As I join other Nigerians to congratulate you on this milestone achievement, permit me to remind you that this system having been certified has been placed on annual surveillance audits to ensure continuing suitability and effectiveness of the implementation of the quality management system. In the course of the audit exercises, where non-conformances are observed and are effectively corrected within specified time frame, the system will RETAIN the certificate. However, the certificate will be WITHDRAWN, if the structures in place for certification breaks down and necessary corrective actions are not taken on observed non-conformances.
“Being one of the very few certified medical device manufacturing in Nigeria, you will agree with me that your biggest challenge in this endless journey to excellence, is to direct your efforts towards delivery of consistent customer satisfaction. On this note, I make a clarion call to all other private and public organisations that are yet to embark on this journey to embrace this ISO management approach, now, for its benefits.”
