ISO Certification

What is ISO certification?

The requirements for certification under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are both rigorous and highly respected.  TOTE has been certified under the ISO 9001 standards for Quality and under the ISO 14001 standards for Environmental. 
Quality – The quality management system includes a mechanism to document and measure compliance with operational goals and customer requirements.  Certification also means that processes and procedures are consistent and management has acquired mastery of those procedures.  This includes a comprehensive and standardized measurement of an organization’s commitment to the delivery of quality service and is the only universally recognized certification of a company’s quality system.  TOTE is certified by DNV for all processes concerning the loading and unloading of cargo and equipment to and from marine vessels under ISO’s 9001:2000 standard.
Environmental – The Environmental Program specifies requirements for an environmental management system. This enables TOTE to develop and implement policy and objectives which taking into account legal and other requirements related to the nature of it’s activities. It also accounts for TOTE's products and services and the location where and the conditions in which it functions.  It applies to those environmental aspects that have been identified as those which TOTE can control and those that it can measure.  TOTE employees then measure the effectiveness of those objectives and periodically reassess their effectiveness, changing to new objectives as the company matures environmentally.

Why is ISO certification valuable?

ISO’s quality and environmental models ensure that TOTE has documented process on how to accomplish quality service that entails operating a system with low damage and maintaining timely delivery and unmatched customer service while leading the way in corporate environmental stewardship. Company-wide understanding of the process of quality service, management involvement and support, and environmental management responsibility are significant indications of the merits of ISO certification.  Certification allows us an advantage over competition as we demonstrate our commitment to protecting the environment, while providing quality service, continuous improvement, and increased efficiency in our operation.  Additionally, many of TOTE’s customers are ISO certified and expect the same from their freight providers.

What are TOTE’s quality and environmental policies?

Quality:

  • TOTE is committed to exceeding our customer’s expectations.
  • TOTE will identify clear objectives, measure and review our performance, and strive for continual improvement.
  • TOTE’s management is committed to supplying the resources necessary to provide quality service.

Environmental:

  • TOTE is committed to continual improvement and the prevention of pollution.
  • TOTE is committed to reducing, reusing, and recycling material used in our workplace.
  • TOTE is committed to creating a clean and safe working environment for our employees through compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

What are our ISO quality and environmental goals?

Our goal is not simply to meet customer satisfaction, but to exceed customer expectations, while constantly improving our environmental stewardship.  We do that by focusing on what is important to our customers, namely delivering cargo and equipment on time and damage free.  We also make sure that all of TOTE’s land based facilities have defined environmental aspects that are periodically assessed to make sure that we are constantly improving our environmental objectives.

If you have a suggestion that would help TOTE exceed your expectations in customer service or environmental aspects, we encourage you to e-mail quality@totemocean.com or contact your sales representative.