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Better Together
28th March 2023
The supply of automatic doors may be considered to be a ‘niche’ area and industry. Indeed, a recent apprentice to the Powered Pedestrian Door Technician apprenticeship course, which ADSA initiated, commented that it wasn’t even aware
that ‘it was a thing’ until he entered the business.
What recent events have impressed upon us, is that we are all interconnected: from the pandemic and supply chain dependence to the escalation of energy costs and the ramifications of the Building Safety Act, our industry is part of a bigger picture. It is one that directly links us to others within construction and wider society, which is ultimately our end user.
That’s why this bigger picture is part of our business strategy. Only by working together can we stay fully informed, be best placed to provide an integrated response and be in the best position to influence the nation’s decision-makers.
Trade Industry Association
We have approached this in a variety of ways. We recently became members of The Trade Industry Association - the UK’s leading body for professional trade associations from which we hope to gather learning opportunities around best practice and meet with the heads of a diverse range of industries.
Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education
We are also working with the Government-backed Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education, after being invited to join its Employer Directory. In doing so, we had to meet a rigorous criterion which included demonstrating our governance structure, responsibilities, statutory functions, identifying board members and their roles across a range of employers and membership numbers. We were in an ideal position to demonstrate the latter: having increased membership by 25 per cent.
CSCS Partnership Scheme
Last year saw the introduction of the new CSCS card which links to an app where site managers can check the cardholder’s credentials - secure in the knowledge that a site worker is suitably qualified. ADSA was part of the working group that introduced the Smart Check scheme, working alongside other selected accredited delivery partners.
Product Design & Innovation Award (Electronic)
Our work with industry trade associations continues. Last year, we worked ever more closely with the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) and were delighted to sponsor the Product Design and Innovation Award (Electronic) category at its prestigious AI Specification Awards during its 40th year.
Entrance Systems Alliance (ESA)
ADSA also continues to work closely with the Door and Hardware Federation, with whom we founded the Entrance Systems Alliance in 2021, to boost NVQ opportunities for people working with door and gate-related industries.
To date, we have welcomed 180 learners who have achieved or are currently working their way through more than 300 NVQs. ESA was created to raise the bar for training and education within the sector. Its qualifications are critical to measure the competence of those working in the industry and provide a framework for much-needed development.
ISO Standards
We have also applied this strategic vision to ensure our own house is in order. As the benchmark for excellence in the powered pedestrian door industry and exponents of quality standards and best practice, we thought that it was only right to assess our own working arrangements. We have started working towards ISO Accreditation - ISO 9001 and ISO 450001 – which relates to quality and safety and ISO 270001 – a gold standard in data management. To date, we have undertaken process mapping and gap analysis, followed by a full audit and are working through a series of recommendations to further improve what we have in place.
It has been a reflective process aimed to ensure that ADSA truly practices what it preaches. We are keen to remain robust and resilient, which in turn will demonstrate our commitment to members, and reinforce the confidence that they have in us.
Health & Safety Executive
Not all initiatives are proactive, sometimes an emerging issue presents an opportunity. We have been working in partnership with the Health and Safety Executive around the publication of a report on a fatality involving powered pedestrian doors. Although this came about as the result of a negative situation, we have harnessed the chance to support the H&SE, supply inspectors with industry information for the compilation of the report, assess its findings and present them as a series of recommendations for those in the industry and our stakeholders.
This will culminate in a whitepaper to be published in the spring, available to download from our website: www.adsa.org.uk
Our Better Together approach has come full circle. By embracing co-efficiency, we are making ADSA better for its members and those joining us.
Becoming a member of ADSA will allow organisations to become part of something bigger, stronger and with greater understanding and prominence.
