PA Benjamin gets ISO certification
Published:Friday | September 2, 2016 | 12:00 AM
The P.A. Benjamin Manufacturing Company said it hopes to release at least four new products per year, having achieved ISO 9001:2008 certification.
The National Certification Body of Jamaica (NCBJ) granted the certification on July 18, making P.A. Benjamin the first company to gain certification of the pharmaceutical code.
"ISO has certified all of our processes, and part of our biggest thrust is new product development. So it allows us to come out with new high quality products on a consistent basis," Director and Commercial Manager of P.A. Benjamin Christopher Powell told Gleaner Business.
The goal to add at least four new products per year "means that we will have up to 20-30 products in the development stages that, over time, we will roll them out," he said.
The scope of certification covers the design, development and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, as well as personal and infant care, cough and cold, flavourings and colourings, savouries, bath and body care, laundry, household and cleaning products.
The NCBJ itself was approved by ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) in March 2016, allowing the agency to certify local companies.
"It standardises our operations, and the standards are internationally recognised. It will make us more efficient in how we operate because everything that we do is now documented and it's all procedure driven," said Powell.
The company believes it will more easily break into new markets, given that countries typically request proof and level of certification.
"It makes it easier for them to trust our products and it ensures that we can produce the same product of the same quality, consistently," Powell said.
P.A. Benjamin was previously ISO certified in 2002 through a Canadian body. That certification expired.