ACM Homes is now ISO certified

Niche housing expert ACM Homes (ACM) was formally awarded a certification to ISO 9001:2008, making it one of the first residential housing developers in the country to be granted the prestigious status. ISO 9001:2008 is a world standard for Quality Management System (QMS).

In a simple ceremony held at the company’s head office in Makati City, ACM’s managing directors and co-founders Tonette de Guzman and Carol Osteria, and ACM’s Chief Operating Officer Rozel Narag, received a framed ISO certificate from Certification International Philippines Inc. (CI Philippines) managing director Renato Navarete. The certificate highlights the scope of services provided by the residential housing company, which includes the construction and delivery of homes in low and medium cost developments.

“We are honored to accept the ISO 9001:2008 certification. It is an affirmation of our unwavering commitment to satisfy our customers. As a customer-oriented company, product, for us, is more than just about the houses we deliver. An important part of this is the overall customer experience, from the time the unit was booked until the time the buyer moves in. When they look back to their experience, we want them to remember how pleasant it was, because we recognize that buying a house is something emotional,” said Tonette de Guzman. According to her, conforming to internationally accepted standards such as the ISO is necessary because the buyers now have higher, or in her words, “more global standards” in terms of buying a home, especially seafarers and Overseas Filipino Workers who have seen how homes abroad are designed and made.

According to ACM co-founder Carol Osteria, having an ISO certification shows investors and creditors that the company’s commitment to make a mark in the industry, noting that this recognition is timely, given that the company has expressed its intention to hold an Initial Public Offering in the coming months. “The ISO certification is recognized by professionals in the banking industry,” she said, adding that she believes that this will help the company secure longer credit lines and lower interest rates from financial institutions.

ACM’s Chief Operating Officer Rozel Narag also expressed his gratitude to the managing directors, officers and employees who have made this feat possible. He gave special recognition to the company’s Business Process Manager, Janice Agton-Nerosa, for spearheading the initiative.

In his speech, CI Philippines managing director Navarete congratulated the company’s officers. He also reminded them that the ISO certification is a continuous process; according to him, it is a process of evaluating one’s processes and improving them to serve the customer, which he said is at the core of the ISO standards. “Construction is complicated, and having standards is an assurance to the customer that the company takes them to mind. It is also an assurance that the company will deliver a quality product,” he said.

“We recognize the need to have and implement the ISO standards because we are a growing company. We need to consistently deliver a quality product, regardless if we are servicing 10, 100 or 1000 customers at a time,” de Guzman said.

The officers also said that the certification, more than just being an accomplishment, poses as a challenge for ACM employees to do better in providing high quality service to customers.

 ISO 9001 is an internationally recognized set of standards for management. Founded in 1947, Swiss company ISO (International Organization for Standardization) gives certification to public and private institutions that meet customer satisfaction and quality requirements.