Mecalift Gains a Competitive Edge with ISO 9001 Certification

Mecalift is a Tampere-based company whose roots date back to the 1980s. Mecalift markets and sells the Meclift product family of variable reach trucks and attachments. The products are known for their innovation, agility and overall cost-effectiveness. At the time of the project, an electrically powered truck was also planned for the product range.

Mecalift has customers around the world and dealers in nearly 40 countries. Due to the company’s extensive international business, obtaining quality certification was recognized as essential.

Without certification, Mecalift was at a disadvantage internationally because the company was unable to participate in certain tenders, recalls CEO Janne Kalliomäki. Certification immediately improved the company’s competitiveness, while standardization brought greater structure and discipline to its operations.

“A management system based on ISO 9001 provides a solid foundation for operations and supports the company’s growth and effective management.” – Mikko Helminen, Coresbond

Quality Standardization Tailored to Mecalift

Janne explains that opportunities for cooperation with Coresbond were explored in spring 2021. During these discussions, it became clear that Coresbond could also help Mecalift build its quality management system.

Mecalift needed an ISO 9001-certified quality management system, and Coresbond’s approach proved well suited to the company’s needs.

Janne says that he initially viewed ISO 9001 processes as complex and bureaucratic, but his perception changed as the quality project progressed. Other participants in the project were also surprised to discover that quality work could even be enjoyable.

Mikko Helminen, CEO of Coresbond, explains that quality management systems can often seem intimidating. Customers may assume that operations must be reorganized around rigid processes. In practice, ISO 9001 focuses on documenting the company’s actual operations at a level tailored to the customer’s needs.

Janne was particularly pleased that the quality management system was created efficiently by focusing on what was essential and leaving out matters that were irrelevant to Mecalift’s operations.

“It took only three months in total to build the quality management system, and no unnecessary work was done. Our quality system has now been officially audited and standardized, yet it still feels like ours.” – Janne Kalliomäki, Mecalift

The Secret to an Efficient Quality Management System Project

Coresbond’s quality management system service is a controlled, end-to-end solution adapted to the customer’s needs. It enables the project to be completed efficiently while remaining within the agreed budget and schedule.

The project began with an assessment of the current situation. The team then started documenting processes and building the quality manual. Coresbond led the project, while Mecalift’s personnel were closely involved from the beginning and throughout the entire process.

Mikko praises the customer’s excellent commitment to the project and their willingness to make time to participate fully in the quality work.

“For the work to succeed, management must be committed and lead by example.” – Mikko Helminen, Coresbond

According to Janne, Coresbond guided Mecalift through the entire process exceptionally well. He says it is rare to receive such good guidance. Committing to the project was not a problem for Mecalift, but instead reflected the company’s working culture. Together, the teams decided to make time for the project and do the work properly from the outset.

“Coresbond took the lead, remained proactive and completed a large share of the work. It is rare to receive guidance this good!” – Janne Kalliomäki, Mecalift

Although the schedule initially seemed tight, the project resulted in a clearly defined system and a concise quality manual containing no unnecessary material. According to Mikko, the best results are achieved by identifying the processes thoroughly and assigning their owners as early as possible.

The audits were also completed quickly during the summer by Bureau Veritas Certification Finland. Only one minor nonconformity was identified. After the testing criteria for the Meclift lifting equipment were clarified, certification was granted in September 2021.

Quality Management Drives Genuine Operational Improvement

Although Mecalift’s initial objective was to obtain a certificate that would strengthen its international competitiveness, building the quality management system also genuinely improved operational efficiency and clarified everyday work.

“The quality management system also brought greater structure to activities such as internal meetings. We now know where to find all the information quickly, instead of wasting time searching for it as we did before.” – Janne Kalliomäki, Mecalift

Mikko also sees quality management at its best as genuine operational development and a way to focus on what is essential. Quality management is suitable for every organization and provides a valuable opportunity to stop and assess everyday processes and working practices.

“When you truly examine what you do and what it is based on, you can eliminate a great deal of unnecessary work and align everyone behind the same goal. Perhaps the certificate is ultimately just a by-product.” – Mikko Helminen, Coresbond

A quality management system can be scaled according to the company’s size and needs and revisited periodically. Mecalift now has a solid foundation in place, and additional content can be added to the system as the company grows.

“Audits and reviews are excellent opportunities to challenge and improve processes and operations. The work is never finished or perfect. Quality management is about continuous improvement and development.” – Mikko Helminen, Coresbond