COFRAC is the ultimate accreditation authority in France, providing official recognition in over 90 countries worldwide. Indeed, the Comité français d'accréditation is the association responsible for assessing the competence and impartiality of bodies involved in conformity assessment on French territory. Since the decree of December 19, 2008, this institution has held the monopoly for issuing accreditation certificates to conformity assessment bodies.
At Igienair, we have made COFRAC accreditation a central pillar of our quality strategy. This accreditation is not simply a document to display, but a genuine recognition of our quality. commitment to excellence. At the end of 2017, more than 3,760 accreditations were managed by the association, covering various fields such as laboratories, inspections and certifications. Obtaining and maintaining this accreditation demands exceptional rigor, which we strive to apply to our processes on a daily basis. In this article, we explain why we chose the path of COFRAC accreditation, how we obtained it, and above all, what it means in concrete terms for the quality of the services we offer you.
Why Igienair chose COFRAC accreditation
Our decision to obtain COFRAC accreditation was not taken lightly. It represents a major strategic choice that reflects our fundamental values and long-term vision. This demanding approach has prompted us to challenge ourselves and constantly improve our internal processes. Here's why we made this decisive choice for Igienair's future.
Our commitment to quality
Quality isn't just a buzzword at Igienair - it's the very essence of our professional identity. For us, COFRAC accreditation represents much more than just a certificate. It represents external, independent validation of our rigorous quality approach. This accreditation process has obliged us to formalize our working methods and implement a robust quality management system.
When we embarked on this process, we had to scrutinize every aspect of our organization. At the same time, this introspection enabled us to identify opportunities for improvement that we might not otherwise have detected. Our compliance with COFRAC requirements is testimony to our determination to maintain high standards in all our departments.
The rigor imposed by COFRAC accreditation requirements pushes us to surpass ourselves on a daily basis. We have established a culture in which every employee is responsible for the quality of his or her work. What's more, this continuous improvement approach has become a reflex for our teams, who are constantly striving to perfect their methods.
Meeting regulatory requirements
In our sector, compliance with regulations is not optional. COFRAC accreditation enables us to demonstrate our compliance with current legal requirements and standards. What's more, it helps us to anticipate regulatory developments through constant monitoring.
The strict framework imposed by COFRAC accreditation requirements provides us with a solid structure for navigating the complex regulatory environment of our industry. We can thus guarantee our customers that our services scrupulously comply with all legal obligations.
This accreditation also facilitates our relations with the supervisory authorities. During official inspections, our status as a COFRAC-accredited organization immediately testifies to our seriousness and professionalism. This creates a climate of trust that fosters constructive exchanges with regulatory bodies.
Strengthening our customers' trust
Trust is the foundation of any lasting business relationship. COFRAC accreditation acts as a seal of approval, reassuring our customers of the reliability of our services. Our customers know that our accreditation is the result of rigorous assessments by independent experts.
This official recognition clearly sets us apart in a market where quality can vary considerably. For our customers, choosing Igienair means opting for the peace of mind provided by a partner whose skills are officially recognized.
Many of our customers have stringent quality requirements. Our COFRAC accreditation enables them to :
- Meet their own regulatory obligations
- Justify their choice of service provider to their stakeholders
- Reduce their supplier qualification procedures
Finally, COFRAC accreditation has enabled us to develop stronger, longer-lasting relationships with our customers. They particularly appreciate the transparency and traceability inherent in our quality management system, two fundamental values we share with COFRAC.
Our path to COFRAC accreditation
Obtaining COFRAC accreditation is a demanding journey, requiring rigor, patience and determination. Our team has taken a methodical path to achieve this prestigious recognition. Here's how we met this major challenge and transformed our organization.
Preparation and internal audit
Our journey towards accreditation began with a thorough preparatory phase. First, we set up a dedicated team of our best quality experts. This team undertook a meticulous analysis of our existing processes to identify any deviations from the requirements of ISO/CEI 17025, the essential reference for COFRAC accreditation.
We then developed a complete documentation system including :
- A quality manual detailing our policy and objectives
- Standard operating procedures for each activity
- Registration forms to ensure traceability of our actions
- Precise work instructions to guide our technicians
This documentation was not an end in itself, but rather the backbone of our quality management system. In addition, we intensively trained all our staff in the technical and organizational requirements. Not only did every employee have to understand the procedures, they also had to embrace the philosophy of continuous improvement.
The crucial step in our preparation was to carry out internal audits. Our auditors, trained specifically for this task, scrutinized every aspect of our organization. These audits, sometimes difficult but always constructive, enabled us to identify our weak points and draw up relevant action plans before the COFRAC experts intervened.
Collaboration with COFRAC experts
After our preparation phase, we submitted our application file to COFRAC. This file included our quality manual, our company organization chart, a description of our technical and human resources, and our desired scope of accreditation.
The initial assessment began with an opening meeting at which the COFRAC assessors presented their methodology and expectations. During this phase, our approach was marked by total transparency. We regarded the COFRAC experts not as judges, but as partners in our quest for excellence.
The on-site assessment was an intense test. The assessors observed our technicians in real-life situations, questioned our managers and scrutinized our documentation. In the event of any discrepancies, we were extremely responsive, immediately proposing appropriate corrective action.
This demanding collaboration pushed us to question ourselves and further refine our practices. The technical exchanges with the assessors, experts in their field, were also a valuable source of learning for our teams.
COFRAC certification
After the on-site assessment, we received a report detailing the deviations to be corrected. Our quality team then mobilized to implement the corrective actions within the allotted timeframe. Each deviation was analyzed in depth to understand the root causes and avoid any recurrence.
Once our corrective actions had been validated by COFRAC, the dossier was presented to the accreditation commission. Waiting for their decision was a period of intense anticipation for our entire team. Finally, the official notification of our accreditation was greeted with immense collective pride.
However, this certificate was not an end in itself, but the beginning of an ongoing commitment. As soon as it was obtained, we integrated COFRAC accreditation requirements into our day-to-day work. Regular surveillance audits, scheduled every 15 months, keep us on constant alert. What's more, full reassessment every 5 years drives us to perpetual improvement.
Obtaining this accreditation has profoundly transformed our corporate culture. Every Igienair employee is now imbued with the values of rigor, transparency and excellence symbolized by COFRAC.
What COFRAC accreditation means for our customers
For you, our customers, COFRAC accreditation represents much more than just a logo on our documents. It's a real guarantee of quality and excellence, which directly influences the value of the services we offer you. Let's take a look at what this recognition means in concrete terms for your experience with Igienair.
Proof of competence and impartiality
COFRAC accreditation officially attests to our technical ability to perform the services within our accreditation perimeter and obtain valid, reliable results. In fact, this recognition is granted only after a rigorous assessment of our know-how by independent experts. For you, this means the certainty of working with a team whose skills are regularly verified against international standards.
Moreover, impartiality is at the heart of the accreditation process. COFRAC verifies our independence and the absence of conflicts of interest in our activities. This gives you the assurance that our results and conclusions are based solely on factual and technical elements, with no external influence.
Safety and reliability
The reliability of our services is directly linked to our accreditation. Our working methods, equipment and procedures are systematically evaluated to guarantee accurate and consistent results. As a result, you can use our reports with complete confidence, particularly in your own compliance procedures.
Safety is also enhanced on several levels:
- Risk management at every stage of our operations
- Ongoing qualification of our technical staff
- Regular participation in inter-laboratory comparisons
- Connection of our measuring instruments to the international system of units through calibration procedures included in the accreditation process.
- The use of business software developed by Igienair that meets traceability requirements and is rigorously validated as it evolves.
- Documented and tested emergency procedures
Transparency and traceability
Transparency is a fundamental value we share with COFRAC. We clearly communicate the exact scope of our accreditation and the methods we use. What's more, we provide you with all the information you need to understand our results and their significance.
Traceability is an essential pillar of our quality system. Every stage of our services is documented, from the initial request to delivery of the final report. What's more, this meticulous traceability enables you to easily demonstrate the conformity of your installations or products during audits or regulatory controls.
Through our COFRAC accreditation, we are able to offer you not only top-quality services, but also the peace of mind and recognition to support you in your own quest for excellence. This accreditation represents our daily commitment to you, our customers, to earn your trust and contribute to your success.
How we maintain our accreditation on a daily basis
Maintaining our COFRAC accreditation is a daily challenge that mobilizes all our resources. This recognition is never definitively acquired - it must be constantly earned through rigorous and methodical work. Our commitment is reflected in several essential dimensions which form the basis of our operational excellence.
Regular audits and continuous improvement
Maintaining our accreditation starts with a rigorous internal audit program covering all the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025. We meticulously plan these audits according to a frequency adapted to the criticality of activities, their maturity and previous performance. This approach enables us to quickly identify opportunities for improvement.
When we detect problems affecting compliance with standards, we immediately increase the frequency and depth of our internal audits. In addition, we carry out periodic assessments by COFRAC. These surveillance assessments enable us to check and monitor our compliance with requirements on an ongoing basis.
Our management system also includes annual management reviews, which examine the effectiveness of our managerial and technical organization, and the adequacy of our resources to achieve and guarantee the objectives set out in the quality policy defined by our Chairman and CEO.
Ongoing training for our teams
The training needs of each employee are identified at regular intervals, in line with the requirements of the standard. We carefully document these assessments and draw up appropriate training plans.
Our approach to personnel monitoring is primarily aimed at ensuring the consistency and reliability of results. This monitoring may lead to the identification of individual training needs or to the revision of our management system.
The annual management review systematically includes an examination of the effectiveness of the systems put in place to ensure adequate staff skills. In addition, we analyze the adequacy of our current human resources and the training needs of both new and existing employees.
Compliance with COFRAC accreditation requirements and ISO standards
Our accreditation is based on the ISO/IEC 17025 standard specific to Conformity Assessment Bodies (CAB). We scrupulously integrate the requirements of this standard into our day-to-day processes.
Although COFRAC accreditation is generally granted for a period of 5 years with renewal, regular reviews in the form of audits ensure that requirements continue to be met. As a result, we maintain a quality management system that guarantees a constant level of excellence in our services.
Our daily commitment to these rigorous standards is testimony to our determination to earn the trust you place in Igienair.
The impact of COFRAC accreditation on our development
Beyond the recognition of our technical skills, COFRAC accreditation has considerably accelerated our commercial and institutional development. This prestigious accreditation has opened doors that would otherwise have remained closed, and enabled us to take new steps in our growth.
Opening up new markets
COFRAC accreditation immediately gave us access to previously inaccessible markets. In particular, regulated sectors such as healthcare and agri-food often require the use of accredited service providers. What's more, our accreditation is internationally recognized, thanks to the mutual recognition agreements signed between COFRAC and its foreign counterparts.
This cross-border recognition now enables us to respond to international tenders without the need for additional assessments in each country. As a result, our customer portfolio has diversified considerably, both in terms of business sectors and geographical location.
Strengthening our brand image
COFRAC accreditation has profoundly transformed Igienair's perception in the marketplace. It's not just a marketing advantage, but a real differentiator that testifies to our commitment to excellence. Our sales teams find that mentioning our accreditation during initial contacts considerably facilitates discussions and shortens sales cycles.
Internally too, this recognition has strengthened our teams' pride in belonging and their commitment to our quality culture. Every employee is now aware that they are contributing to a company whose excellence is officially recognized at the highest level.
Facilitated partnerships with public and private players
COFRAC accreditation has catalyzed the creation of strategic partnerships. On the one hand, public bodies, often obliged to work with accredited service providers, now call on us directly. On the other hand, large private companies, concerned about their own quality approach, naturally give preference to partners who have demonstrated their excellence.
These strengthened collaborations enable us to constantly innovate, enrich our offer and improve our methods. In this way, COFRAC accreditation is not just the culmination, but also the starting point for a virtuous circle of development and continuous improvement.
Our COFRAC commitment: A guarantee of excellence for the future
COFRAC accreditation is, without doubt, much more than just a label for Igienair. It embodies our corporate philosophy and our daily commitment to excellence. Throughout this article, we have shown why this prestigious recognition is the central pillar of our quality strategy, and how it shapes our every action.
Our path to COFRAC accreditation has certainly not been an easy one. Rigorous audits, meticulous documentation and the ongoing training of our teams bear witness to the considerable efforts made to achieve and maintain these high standards. Nonetheless, this requirement pushes us every day to surpass ourselves and perfect our working methods.
For our customers, this accreditation offers an invaluable guarantee. On the one hand, it officially attests to our technical competence and impartiality. On the other, it ensures the reliability and traceability of all our services. Choosing Igienair means opting for a partner whose excellence is recognized at the highest national and international levels.
The impact of this accreditation on our development has been particularly significant. Thanks to it, we have gained access to new markets, strengthened our brand image and established strategic partnerships with public and private players. So, far from being an end in itself, COFRAC accreditation has opened up new prospects for our company.
Our commitment to the values of COFRAC - rigor, transparency, competence and impartiality - remains unwavering. These fundamental principles guide our day-to-day actions and enable us to offer our customers services of the highest quality. In the future, we will continue to invest in the continuous improvement of our processes and the training of our teams in order to remain worthy of this prestigious recognition.
Quality can never be taken for granted. It demands constant vigilance and constant questioning. That's why we see COFRAC accreditation not as an end in itself, but as a renewed commitment to our customers, our staff and our profession. Together, let's pursue the quest for excellence that is the pride of IGIENAIR.
