About Seddon
Founded in 1951, Seddon Plant & Engineers Ltd is a family-owned business supplying, servicing and supporting professional equipment across the construction, civil engineering, utilities, landscaping, ground care and facilities management sectors.
Operating from Bolton, Birmingham and Normanton, the business combines national reach with local support and technical expertise to help customers maximise the performance and reliability of their equipment.
As the business celebrated 75 years of trading, Seddon Plant & Engineers took the next step in strengthening its commitment to quality, environmental responsibility and health & safety by achieving ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certification alongside its existing ISO 9001 certification.
The Challenge
Seddon Plant & Engineers had already established a strong foundation with ISO 9001 certification. However, growing customer expectations around sustainability, environmental management and occupational health & safety created the opportunity to further strengthen its management systems.
Customers and major national organisations were increasingly requesting evidence of environmental and health & safety credentials through supplier questionnaires, tenders and procurement processes.
At the same time, the business had already identified sustainability and operational improvement as key strategic priorities.
“It was more of an opportunity than a problem to solve. We already held ISO 9001, and the move to add ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 came from growing customer interest in sustainability, health and safety and environmental credentials.”
The business wanted a practical, structured framework that would help embed these ambitions into everyday operations while supporting long-term growth.
Why ISOQAR?
Seddon Plant & Engineers chose ISOQAR after moving from a previous certification provider.
Several factors influenced the decision, including:
- UKAS accredited certification recognised by customers and stakeholders
- Strong recommendations from trusted industry contacts
- A local team with a practical and flexible approach
- Value for money and responsive support throughout the process
Crucially, ISOQAR supported a staged approach to certification, enabling the business to recertify ISO 9001 first before introducing ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.
“Importantly, ISOQAR supported a staged route rather than pushing us to take everything on at once.”
The approach
Building on its existing ISO 9001 management system, Seddon Plant & Engineers undertook a significant programme of work to create an integrated management system that incorporated quality, environmental management and occupational health & safety.
Key activities included:
- Rewriting the ISO manual to support an integrated management system
- Engaging RKMS consultants to guide implementation
- Securing board-level commitment and stakeholder buy-in across the business
- Training three employees as internal auditors
- Completing a two-stage certification audit process with ISOQAR
The organisation also used the process as an opportunity to modernise systems, improve consistency across depots and move from paper-based processes towards more digital ways of working.
The outcome
Certification helped provide the structure, focus and accountability needed to drive meaningful operational improvements across the business.
Operational improvements
- Standardised processes and best practice across all depots
- Improved reporting and communication throughout the organisation
- Stronger integration of customer feedback into digital transformation initiatives
Environmental improvements
- Installation of solar PV systems on site
- Reduced reliance on gas where possible
- Increased focus on environmental considerations across operations
Health & safety improvements
- Full review of health & safety processes
- Updated risk assessments and COSHH information
- Improved onboarding and training for new starters
- A stronger health & safety culture focused on best practice
People and culture
- Personal development plans aligned to business objectives
- Greater leadership focus on quality, environmental management and health & safety
- Improved engagement and accountability across teams
“Certification gave us both the drive and the framework to deliver improvements we already knew the business needed.”
Supporting customer confidence
Certification has strengthened confidence among customers, suppliers and stakeholders by providing independently verified evidence of the organisation’s commitment to quality, environmental management and occupational health & safety.
The business is now better positioned to support existing customer relationships while also meeting increasing expectations in future tenders and procurement activities.
“When our customers ask about our quality, environmental and health and safety credentials, we have the evidence in place rather than the promise.”
Overcoming challenges
Like many organisations implementing integrated management systems, Seddon Plant & Engineers faced several challenges throughout the certification journey.
These included:
- Driving organisational change and securing engagement across the business
- Reviewing and updating historical documentation
- Transitioning from paper-based systems to digital management systems
- Interpreting evolving requirements within the standards
- Managing the significant time commitment required for implementation
Despite these challenges, the organisation views the process as instrumental in improving consistency, communication and operational best practice across the business.
Looking ahead
Over the next three to five years, Seddon Plant & Engineers plans to continue embedding its management systems deeper into the organisation while supporting sustainable business growth.
Future ambitions include:
- Extending certification across the wider group
- Moving towards a fully integrated assessed management system
- Improving communication of certifications to customer-facing teams
- Expanding digital self-service information for customers
The focus remains on maximising the long-term value of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 across the business.
Client reflection
“Certification provides the focus and the drive to deliver sustainable business improvement. It is not just a certificate on the wall.”