Irish companies are being urged to enhance their management skills and improve their ability to make smarter business decisions, by using international management standards such as ISO 9001 to win new business and allow their organisation to prosper.
Alkermes Pharma Ireland Limited, a fully integrated, global biopharmaceutical company based in Athlone, was one of over 25 companies that presented with their ISO certificate by Minister for Small Business, John Perry.
Alkermes Pharma Ireland Limited has more than 450 employees based in Ireland at its Dublin headquarters and at its manufacturing plant in Athlone. The company has over 20 commercial drug products and a substantial pipeline of future products which treat central nervous disorders such as addiction, schizophrenia and depression.
Shane Cooke, president, Alkermes Pharma Ireland Limited, said “Standards ensure a greater focus on continuous improvement in all areas of the business’ performance and ultimately improving the site’s operations.”
Speaking at NSAI’s SME Standards and Certification event, Minister Perry said, “There are clear tangible benefits to implementing standards, especially for SMEs. Standards can be used in the development of new products in order to reduce the resources spent on research and development, to effectively allocate resources in the toughest of times and to improve their ability to innovate. The life blood of any business is winning new customers and by proving they adhere to standards, companies can boost their bottom line by demonstrating the quality of products and services they offer.”
Over one million organisations in 170 countries have adopted the Quality Management System standards and last year NSAI certified a diverse range of Irish companies in various ISO management systems.
