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Irish businesses certified to international standards could be at a distinct advantage post-Brexit. Fergal O’Byrne, Head of Business Excellence with the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), explains why 

Much of the public discourse surrounding Brexit here has rightly focused on the border and the possibility of customs posts being erected once more between Dublin and Belfast. A hard Brexit would negatively affect companies and communities alike, and potentially even impact the international peace deal made possible, in part, by an open and invisible border.

However, it is the potential divergence of standards between the UK and the EU that’s being described as the biggest risk facing Ireland. That’s according to the consultancy firm Copenhagen Economics. It was commissioned by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation to write a report on the impact of Brexit, and concluded that regulatory divergence would potentially be worse for business than customs checks and tariffs.

Standards Benefits

Fortunately, the British national standards body, the BSI, has signalled its desire to stay within the European standards development framework, meaning Irish businesses certified to international standards that trade with Britain could be at a distinct advantage post-Brexit when compared with their non-certified counterparts.

Certification schemes, such as those offered by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), can help organisations in times of change, by helping to build customer confidence in products, meet regulation requirements at a lower cost, reduce costs and explore new markets across the world.

Cost Misperception

According to Fergal O’Byrne (pictured), the NSAI’s Head of Business Excellence, more than 3,000 Irish businesses already agree that international standards are the best answer to the question ‘what is the best way of doing this?’ However, he says certification is often falsely seen as being prohibitively expensive for smaller companies to achieve.

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“There can be a perception among some smaller firms that certification isn’t for them, or that the cost of implementing standards is too high, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” says O’Byrne. “For example, if you take a company that employs between five and 20 people, the cost of achieving certification stands at around €1,500 per year, over a three-year certification cycle.

"While this is still a sizeable amount of money for any organisation, it’s probably less than they thought, and often the cost of not being certified can be greater.”

Recognised Trademark

One small company that has seen first-hand the benefits of certification is Boylan Print. The Louth-based heat-set web print company specialises in large volume magazines, brochures, inserts, booklets and direct mail, and is certified to ISO 9001 for Quality Management Systems. This has enabled Boylan Print to grow and progress to become Ireland’s largest printing company, according to Quality Manager, Bryan Quinn.

“As a business that trades in the UK and Ireland, we remain confident that the ISO standards will continue to prove our company’s ongoing commitment to quality objectives, and give our business a recognised trademark that is known worldwide, which makes our company more attractive in the market at home and abroad,” says Quinn.

“I see ISO certification becoming an increasing requirement for companies wishing to trade both within and outside of the UK. Being ISO certified provides this comfort to us and our customers,” he added.

Now, more than ever, Irish businesses need certainty. With just over a year to go until the country’s relationship with its closest neighbour, competitor and ally is due to change fundamentally, businesses are being urged to build confidence with certification to international standards.

NSAI’s Business Excellence team is available to answer any queries relating to Management Systems Certifications and other standards available to businesses.

For more information, visit www.nsai.ie/management-systems