Funny how everybody is suddenly talking about quality? Takes a collapsing economy to make us rethink what's important. We've had a decade of shoddy service, poor products and low standards. But now consumers want more. I've been banging on about quality for years and I'm relived to say there's a whiff of change in air. A silent revolution. We've had enough of being had over.
But through all the greed, profiteering and corner-cutting of the last ten years, the British Standards Institution has been diligently testing stuff to make sure its safe reliable and does what its supposed to. That tiny Kitemark triangle is this country's most trusted quality benchmark and one that I'm enormously proud to be associated with. BSI raises standards and makes things better. They're quiet guardians of quality.
And in our brave new world of change BSI is going to make sure this quality revolution gets some deep traction. I want to see UK consumers getting world-class products and services by demanding that they're properly assessed and tested. I want that Kitemark on as many things as possible. From garages and body shops to solar panels and energy efficient windows, in 2010 quality should be a given. And that's where you come in.
Ask for the Kitemark by name and try, whenever possible, to choose products and services that have been through the BSI testing processes. Because, and here's the thing, if enough people start demanding quality, that silent revolution will become a strident noise. Standards will shoot up, services will improve and we'll all feel much more reassured. And a culture of quality is precisely what we need to help pull us out of this recession. Bring it on.
I think kitemark PAS80 had great potential. However, BSI has done little over the last couple of years by way of promotion. Therefore, it is just another significant cost for repairers who have gone to the trouble of proving that they are doing the job right.
ReplyDeleteHi there, I thought you might be interested in knowing that I have just heard Quentin Willson and Robert Halfon MP on the radio, being interviewed about the advantages of the Kitemark for Garage Services scheme - which I think is PAS 80, as mentioned in the other comment made.
ReplyDeleteRobert Halfon said he was going to push the Kitemark garage scheme within the House of Commons and was about to table a motion about it this afternoon.
I would suggest that this is quite a powerful way of promoting the scheme!
The Collision Industry has needed a 'standard' and now has the making of one with PAS125. But in an industry where the cost of repairs is controlled by the insurance companies and reasonable labour rates supressed bodyshops work on very tight margins. Insurance companies are hiding behind the kitemark because they have never had any standards to manage and passing their duty of care onto the repairer but still suppress the cost of repairs while the consultants and training organisations rub their hands together as their profits roll in from the businesses that embrace the new standard.
ReplyDeleteThe standard has been available since 2007 and it's now 2010 and it hasn't been updated yet by the so called industry experts that created it and BSI do not market it effectively.
It's great to have quality standards but PAS125 isn't quite right yet.