KZN with IRIS 02 certificate
The Krakow-based company officially confirmed the conformity of its procedures to IRIS 02 (International Railway Industry Standard). On 19 May 2016, the Chairman of KZN “Bieżanów”, Mr. Ryszard Leszczyński, received the official certificate from Mr. Piotr Kosznik, Sales Director at Bureau Veritas Certification Poland.
“Our company, as an entity authorised by UNIFE to issue IRIS conformity certificates, conducted a registered audit according to codes 18 and 19, i.e. Rolling Stock and Infrastructure. This combination is unique in Europe and shows the broad competencies of KZN. I am happy to provide you with this certificate which KZN “Bieżanów” receives as the first manufacturer of railway infrastructure in Poland. Working with the best is important to us,” emphasised Mr. Piotr Kosznik of Bureau Veritas Certification Poland (BVC) during the certification ceremony.
“This document confirms that KZN “Bieżanów”, and through it, also the capital group, is striving for the highest standards. It makes me proud that, after so many years of catching up, we can once more present to the market a breakthrough solution and become the frontrunner for a change. IRIS 02 not only reinforces our company’s position, but, as an internationally recognised quality standard, also gives a boost to our efforts to win new markets,” Mr. Ryszard Leszczyński, Chairman of KZN “Bieżanów”, commented on receiving the certificate.
IRIS 02 guarantees the highest quality of business management in terms of manufacturing, sales and organisation. Compared to the popular ISO 9001 standard, the scope of requirements of IRIS 02 is broader and more specific, but most of all it is tailored to the nature of the railway industry. At the moment, it is the strictest international standard for this sector. The International Railway Industry Standard originates from the rolling stock and automation industry. For a long time, businesses operating in the infrastructure and surface sectors were unable to receive official certificates and be recorded in the IRIS-Rail.org database maintained by the Association of the European Rail Industry (UNIFE). “Despite that, KZN “Bieżanów”, as the first company in the industry in Poland, would submit for assessment of conformity to IRIS standards as early as 2009, i.e. a number of years before UNIFE introduced its code 19 “Infrastructure”. On that basis, in lieu of an official certificate, we would issue a certificate of conformity to the requirements of IRIS,” explains Grzegorz Kaczmarek of BVC, one of the auditors. “The Bieżanów company, as a pioneer of innovative solutions, has quickly recognised IRIS as the set of best practices for the railway industry. It was only because there was no official standard code for Infrastructure that the company could not have been recorded in the UNIFE data base,” adds Grzegorz Kaczmarek.
In 2015, once the standard code 19 “Infrastructure” had been officially introduced, the Krakow-based company implemented its innovative technology of turnout logistics, i.e. the Switcher. The core of the technology comprises universal tipping train cars with tilting platforms, loading cranes and tie-down and bracing systems. KZN “Bieżanów” took another step forward and also obtained certification for code 18 “Rolling Stock”.
“We have submitted to strict assessments of conformity to the IRIS requirements before, despite the fact that, until today, we were unable to use the official logo of that standard. We would impose those strict rules upon ourselves, since our aim is not only to catch up with the best, but also to set market trends and best practices in the industry,” comments Mr. Jacek Paś, Board Member and Technology Development Director at KZN Bieżanów, who is responsible for the quality management system.
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