Meralco subsidiary and rail company MRAIL Inc. has been conferred by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) a certification for ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management Systems) compliance. MRAIL was confirmed ISO compliant in managing its business processes through a systems audit conducted by ISO-accredited auditor TUV Rheinland late last year.
The scope of the ISO 9001:2015 certification covers rail engineering and construction, repair and rehabilitation, and maintenance of rail systems.
The certification audit encompassed all of MRAIL’s business processes, including management planning, business development, project implementation, post-project implementation, human resources development, procurement, equipment and facilities management, inventory management, accounting, control of documented information, continual improvement, corporate communication, and design.
“MRAIL has always been committed to continuous improvement leading to a high quality of services delivered to its clients. The certification of our business processes as compliant to Quality Management System standards cements our objective of improving the railway systems in the country and in helping upgrade these to global standards,” said Ferdinand G. Inacay, president and CEO of MRAIL.
ISO 9001:2015 is the international standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system and is used by organizations to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements, emphasizing a risk-based approach to enhance the application of the system. It is the current version of the ISO 9001 Standard released in September 2015.
In its report, TUV Rheinland confirmed that MRAIL processes conform to established ISO standards and that MRAIL maintains an effective system that is committed to continuous improvement.
MRAIL has submitted a proposal to the Philippine National Railways to operate a freight train from Tutuban in Manila to the Laguna Gateway Inland Container Terminal in Calamba, Laguna, and eventually stretching to Batangas. In September last year, MRAIL signed a memorandum of understanding with the local government of Batangas to carry out a feasibility study on extending its freight train project from Calamba to Batangas International Port.
