High Standards in the Highlands

The Furniture Re-use Network wishes to congratulate ILM Highland in Alness for satisfying the requirements of the premier International Standard ISO 9001.

Fred Dobb of FRN said that “ILM Highland has passed a searching three day assessment by an experienced IRCA registered Principal Auditor from a UKAS Accredited Independent Third Party Certification Body” .

FRN can now boast 9 members that have achieved ISO standards, following  assistance and guidance given by FRN. FRN will continue to work with another 50 more members to prepare them to comply with this benchmark. This will enable civil society organisations to compete on equal terms with those in the commercial and private sector.

Andy Dytch of ILM Highland said that “This means our partners, whether from the private, public or third sector, will be reassured that they are dealing with a quality company. Too often in the past other bodies or companies have looked down their noses at social enterprises and charities thinking they are a bunch of do-gooders who do not have any real idea what they are doing. I think having ISO 9001 helps change that perception” .

ISO 9001 certified standards promise to create an efficient and effective working environment; raising customer satisfaction and retention in order to lead to increased profit, as well as improving employee moral and long term employment. Plus the sector continues to reduce waste.

Andy Dytch was in agreement that achieving the ISO 9001 standard was “a great confidence boost to the staff. The staff would have viewed it as a reflection on their service if there were any non compliances” . 

ISO standard is a high achieving guarantee for stakeholders, mangers and customers in the delivery of products and is the fundamental base of FRN standards. It is not FRN’s attitude to simply deliver to whatever the customer perceives good quality to be, but to go further and make sure that they set their own marker for high-end quality that ticks every box. When the Highland organisationswere awarded their ISO certificate they had already installed, implemented and maintained their systems and controls in everyday working practice under FRN direction.

Andy Dytch says on his way to achieving ISO 9001 standard found that “we knew we were doing things pretty well, and the commitment of staff to delivering a quality service has been great over the years. However, we were aware that at times we lacked the discipline. During the process leading up to assessment we have much more confidence in our management systems” .

FRN works to support bids for ISO’s by employing their own full time auditing team who work hard to achieve ISO goals. It can be argued that some people just want the ISO certificate but are not willing to put in the hard work, however, partnered with our auditors they work out a way of achieving a committed level of quality. Specifying where they are lacking and importantly why; this helps to maintain standards effectively. Our team carries out annual audits and re-registers reusers every 3 years to ensure continued commitment to goals set. FRN helps with the lengthy paper work of ISO application, making the process as hassle free as possible. Audits are charged at no extra cost to membership and negates the need for third party and internal audits.

Joining the FRN means more organisations can achieve the ISO 9001 level of standards without having to struggle alone.

FRN is proud of the high achieving standard of their members and hope this goes to illustrate their commitment to being the best in their sector.

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Press Releases

Handyperson Service Reaches Milestone Six Years On

A service which helps older people and those with a disability with small jobs in their homes, reached a major milestone recently with the completion of the 30,000th job across Sutherland and Ross and Cromarty. The Handyperson service, which covers the whole of the two counties, commenced in August 2004. Since then the demand for the service has grown considerably, with well over 5,000 jobs a year being completed. This means that around 3,000 people benefit annually.

Locally based charity and social enterprise, ILM (Highland), established the service, in conjunction with Highland Community Care Forum, the Highland Council, Ross and Cromarty Enterprise and Albyn Housing Society. The service is now largely funded by the Highland Council, as well as NHS Highland. Its target is to assist older people and those with a disability, with small jobs in their homes. This includes fitting smoke alarms, handrails, fitting curtains and shelves, small scale plumbing and joinery work, as well as, undertaking a hazard check.

Andy Dytch, General Manager of ILM (Highland), stated "This new initiative was very much an unknown quantity in 2004. The key players indicated that the service was needed, but until it was actually rolled out, it was impossible to predict what the demand would be. We need not have worried. Within six months, after a concerted advertising campaign to raise awareness, demand has risen to over 400 jobs a month. This has grown further over subsequent years".

"The service is now important in the provision of support to vulnerable older people and those with a disability in their homes. By combining practical skills with a high degree of empathy, handyperson staff are able to improve the quality of peoples lives, right in their homes. Jobs get done quickly and at relatively low cost. The worry and anxiety that older people often feel is lessened. Related to this, the service can have an impact in terms of enabling people to stay in their homes for longer. Overall, its a win win situation."

The support of the Highland Council has been key in the success of the service.

Councillor Margaret Davidson, Chair of Housing and Social Work Committee said: "We are delighted to support ILM (Highland) in their work to provide elderly and disabled clients with practical help to reduce accidents and increase safety and security in their own homes. The fact that so many clients in Sutherland and Ross and Cromarty have benefitted from a helping hand to carry out small repairs and everyday tasks is good news as it means the people who need the help are getting it. Credit must go to the hard working team of handymen who work closely with our housing and social work departments to ensure all referrals are dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible. I am sure the excellent service will continue to help many more people."

ILM (Highland) is an Alness based social enterprise with charitable status. It also delivers a care and repair service, an insulation service, as well as, an electrical waste reuse and recycling service. It can be contacted on 01349 884774.

Social Enterprise Awarded Contract to Recycle Household Waste Electrical Appliances for the Highlands

Alness based social enterprise, ILM (Highland), has recently been successful in being awarded a two year contract to recycle all household waste electrical appliances.  The contract will involve collecting appliances and other electrical equipment from Highland Council Recycling Centres across the Highlands, selecting with a view to maximising reuse, with the remainder going for reprocessing.

Under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment European directive (WEEE), producers now have the responsibility for WEEE.  In order to do this, producers have grouped themselves into various compliance schemes which contract with Local Authorities to designate and use their Recycling Centres as Designated Collection Facilities for householders to take their WEEE.

Highland Council has agreed a contract with one of these compliance schemes (REPIC).  In order to secure as much reuse as possible the Council persuaded REPIC to consider ILM as a possible collection contractor given that over the past six years they have, through a Service Level Agreement, been collecting for reuse, refurbishment and recycling the majority of the white goods deposited at the Council's recycling centres.

The Council are very pleased that ILM successfully secured the collection contract with REPIC.  It is the only collection, reuse and recycling contract of its type in the UK, involving a partnership between the private and social enterprise sectors.  It is anticipated that ILM will deal with around 2000 tonnes a year, with collections being made from right across the Highland Council area.

Bill MacKenzie, Chairman of ILM stated "This is an exciting opportunity for ILM and one we have been building up towards for the past six years.  We have not only been able to keep jobs in the Highlands through this contract, but we have developed an innovative partnership at the same time.  On the back of this, we anticipate a significant increase in the amount of appliances that we repair for reuse.  This will mean that the Highlands is dealing with its own waste, creating environmental benefits but at the same time gaining economic benefits for the area."

He added that "at a time when the Government is encouraging social enterprises to become self sustaining, ILM has shown that it can survive and flourish during difficult economic conditions and without any reliance whatsoever on grant support.  The management team supported by the board, have gained this contract through a complex negotiation process.  Thanks must also be given to the staff for their continued loyalty and committment over the past few years."

Councillor John Laing, Chairman of TEC Services stated that "The Council is delighted to have finally secured the contract with REPIC and to have ILM, our longstanding WEEE partner, delivering the collection service on their behalf".

ILM (Highland) is a social enterprise with charitable status.  It delivers additional services, which include a handyperson  and care and repair service for older people and those with a disability.  It also delivers a cavity wall and loft insulation service.  Electrical appliances which ILM refurbishes are available for sale at its on site shop, located at Unit 1G, Teaninich Industrial Estate, Alness 01349 884774.

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NEWS BITES

Diverting waste from landfill for 2008

ILM Highland handles around 14,000 units of used white goods each year.  Some 5,000 of these get reused, which means they are completely refurbished and tested before being put back into the market place.  The remaining items are recycled – each appliance is stripped of its component parts and recycled accordingly – metal, copper etc.

The Company operates from its main outlet:

Head office, workshop and retail shop located in Alness, Ross and Cromarty.

Employing 8 full-time staff and providing a number of training placements, this year, ILM Highland aims to reuse and recycle in the region of 865 tonnes, which equates to approximately 12,300 large domestic appliances being diverted from landfill!

The Handy Person Service Update

The Handy Person Service provides practical help with odd jobs and small repairs around the home which some elderly and disabled people may find difficult to do on their own.

The service has been operating Sutherland and Ross and Cromarty since 2004.   Since that time, over 20,000 jobs have been completed.  During 2007/08, the Handy Person Service for the Sutherland and Ross and Cromarty area completed 6,268 jobs and assisted 3,134 people by reducing hazards around the home and improving their quality of life.

The service is supported by funding from the Highland Council, Albyn Housing Society and NHS Highland.

Care and Repair Service Update

The Care and Repair Service offers free information and advice to enable the elderly and adults with disabilities to improve their homes through the following initiatives:

• organising surveys and drawings 
• obtaining prices for work
• applying for grants
• applying for loans or other funding
• organising the work
• approaching other agencies for financial support, for example, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen Families Association
• dealing with contractors and monitoring quality of work

ILM Highland has been running the Care and Repair Service in Ross and Cromarty and Sutherland regions since 1994.  Each year the service benefits around 572 people and, at the same time, helps to improve around 172 houses. During 2007/08, the service helped people claim grants totalling £700,000 towards the cost of improving their homes.

The service is supported by funding from The Highland Council.

Insulation Service Update

ILM (highland) has been insulating homes since 1995.  We are:

• an approved network installer insulation contractor for The Highland Council
• an approved insulation contractor for Scottish and Southern Electricity and the Instagroup

We insulate homes across the Highlands, the north east of Scotland and Moray. We provide:

• cavity-wall insulation
• loft insulation
• energy advice

During 2007/08 ILM’s Insulation Service insulated over 600 houses across the north of Scotland.