Submitted by the Dominica Bureau of Standards (DBOS)
The first certification of the Mahaut-located Dominica Coconut Product (DCP) Successors Ltd by the Dominica Bureau of Standards (DBOS) is enabling the local business to start looking abroad for bigger markets.
The record achievement for the DBOS, in awarding it’s first certification on July 13, 2021 after three months of rigorous auditing, has the local soap producers singing the praises of the potential of improving quality to boost the earning potential of domestic companies.
The DCP Successors Ltd was awarded the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification, which is a quality management system for ensuring products are consistently produced and controlled according to Quality Standards. It is designed to minimize the risks involved in production that cannot be eliminated through testing the final products, and covers all aspects of production from the starting materials, premises, and equipment to the training and personal hygiene of staff.
Detailed written procedures are essential for each process that could affect the quality of the finished product.
Director of the DBOS, Mr. Median LaRocque in congratulating the company noted that benefits of receiving the certification included – the facilitation of trade, increased competitiveness, reduction of nonconforming products, services and processes, improvement in supplier relationship, better knowledge of the company by the employees, motivation of employees to better understand customer needs, improvement in customer satisfaction and overall improvement in communication.
The ISO 22716:2007 Standard, which gives guidelines for the production, control, storage and shipment of cosmetic products was used to audit and certify DCP Successors Ltd.
The Audit team, headed by Director LaRocque, was satisfied with the DCP Successors Ltd. level of compliance with the requirements and decided to issue a Certificate of Conformance against the Standard.
“Mrs. Sherma Desire-George, Quality Manager of the facility, must be commended for her effort in preparing the required documentation for maintenance of the system. Staff at the facility must also be commended for enabling the audit and providing the required information during the various interviews and site visits. We hope that the company makes all required resources available for the maintenance of the system and to look towards continuous improvement,” the DBOS stated in a release.
Director of DCP Successors Ltd., Mr. Yvor Nassief thanked his team and the Dominica Bureau of Standards and noted that the road to certification had been long. “When we walked into DCP, April, May 2017, there wasn’t a shred of paper on the compound … There were no people; there was no documentation; there was no formula; there was no process. So, we had to start from scratch formulating everything.”
“The domestic market is too small for DCP and we’re at a stage now where CARICOM, especially with the challenges we’ve had in certain markets, is too small for us. There are times when we have soaps, we have no orders because the market is small. So, we wanted to break into the Dominican Republic, which is a huge market twice the size of CARICOM. But we have not been able to do so without the GMP Certification. We have that now. So, we’ve been working on translating our labels and doing all the other stuff they require.”
General Manager of DCP Successors Ltd., Mr. Damien Sorhaindo, in expressing gratitude for the successful certification stated, “[Y]es, we’re very thankful that we’re here today receiving this certificate. But I just want everyone to be mindful that it’s a continuous journey that we’re all on together, to ensure that we gain the trust, and continue to get that trust and have that trust from our customer base.”
The GMP Certification now provides the DCP Successors Ltd. with access to regional and international Markets. Quality Manager at DCP Successors Ltd., Mrs. Desire-George said “We aim to always provide quality products to our customers and consumers,” and advised other manufacturing companies to work with the Bureau to enhance their business.
