BSI consolidates its commitment to Six Sigma

The acquisition will enhance BSI Group's expertise in the growing area of Six Sigma training.  ASI-QS staff will work with BSI Management Systems globally with a view to building and sustaining an international reputation for BSI in Six Sigma and related business improvement tools.

BSI Management Systems, the certification arm of BSI Group, operates in more than 100 countries with 60,000 registered locations worldwide.  It is the largest certification body in the UK and in North America and offers a comprehensive range of standards-related management systems business improvement training services globally.

ASI-QS is the trading name of Greenall Barnard Associates Ltd and was established by Ray Greenall and Simon Barnard in 1988.  The company has since built an enviable reputation for Six Sigma training and implementation with major international clients such as Volvo, Vestas, Bausch & Lomb, Boston Scientific and Schering Plough.  The company is headquartered in Milton Keynes, UK and its staff will now relocate to BSI Group’s Milton Keynes premises, and report into the UK Head of Training, Mike Bailey.

Said Ray Greenall of ASI-QS: “This is an exciting move for ASI-QS.  BSI is a world leader in business and performance improvement systems and being part of that will enable us to reach global markets.”

Flemming Norklit, Managing Director of BSI Management Systems said: “BSI is very pleased to have acquired the depth of knowledge and experience which ASI-QS will bring. This move enables us to give all our global partners enhanced access to our Six Sigma services and our related business improvements products.”

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For media information:
BSI Group Press Office, London
Tel: +44 (0)20 8996 6330 (24hr)
Email: Pressoffice@bsi-global.com

Editors’ Notes

About Six Sigma

Six Sigma is an approach to business improvement that focuses on the reduction of variation in all work processes. Process variation results in unwanted side effects including defects and inefficient operations. Many of the world’s leading companies have adopted this approach to business improvement. The systematic reduction of variation results in high quality processes which in turn leads to customer satisfaction and increased profits.

Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is used to ensure that innovative, robust products are developed which will satisfy all the requirements of our customers by delivering consistent functionality. Ideally, the powerful Six Sigma methodologies can be entwined with existing technology and product development processes to ensure a timely and effective launch of new products.

Operational Six Sigma is used in the production environment to reduce variation in process output. This is achieved through the use of a structured process for improvement (DMAIC). The customer is the focus of attention, and improvement activities are focused on those areas which will produce the largest benefit in terms of customer satisfaction.

Transactional Six Sigma is used to reduce variation in administrative or service related processes. A common target of transactional projects is to reduce processing time, which results in increased customer satisfaction and greatly improved efficiency.

BSI Acquisitions in 2006

BSI Group’s global growth strategy has led to three previous acquisitions so far in 2006. 

In March 2006, the Group acquired German certification business NIS ZERT, which established an operational presence for BSI in Germany, one of Europe’s largest certification markets.

In June 2006, BSI acquired the market-leading Anglo-Canadian performance software company, Entropy International Ltd.  Entropy provides large multi-national clients with an integrated web-based tool for assessing and managing risk, performance, and compliance, across environment, health & safety and quality management systems, delivering added value beyond certification with standards based solutions.

In August 2006, BSI acquired Benchmark Certification Pty, the second largest certification business in Australia, establishing the Group’s physical presence in Australia for the first time and supplying a platform for further growth in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region.

About BSI

BSI British Standards is the National Standards Body of the UK and develops standards and standardisation solutions to meet the needs of business and society.  They work with government, businesses and consumers to facilitate the production of British, European and international standards. British Standards’ products and services help organisations world wide to successfully implement best practice, manage business critical decisions and achieve excellence. This includes a wide range of published information and commissioned services delivered under the BSI Business Information brand.

BSI Management Systems operates world wide to provide organisations with independent third-party certification of their management systems, including ISO 9001 (Quality), ISO 14001 (Environment), OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety), ISO/IEC 27001 (previously BS 7799 for Information Security), ISO/IEC 20000 (previously BS 15000 for IT Service Management) and Food Safety, including ISO 22000. In addition, BSI Management Systems offers a range of training services around management systems.

BSI Product Services is best known in the UK for the Kitemark, the UK’s first product quality mark.  BSI Product Services exists to help industry develop new and better products and to make sure they meet current and future laws and regulations, from commercial construction to motorcycle helmets, from mobile phones to fire extinguishers, from car headlights to medical devices. It also provides third party certification, specifically for CE marking – a legal requirement for certain categories of products to be sold within the EU.  The division also offers an exciting new range of schemes aimed at improving quality within service markets.

BSI Entropy is headquartered in Lancaster, UK, with international operations in Ottawa, Canada and Exton PA, USA.  Entropy International provides software solutions that enable organisations worldwide to improve environmental, social and economic performance, thereby contributing to global sustainability. The Entropy System is a market-leading, web-based application for enterprise-level risk and compliance management that helps businesses improve internal control and overall corporate governance.