Press Release: BACIF – Manufacturing quality aluminum and cast iron products for 65 years

Last Updated on Saturday, 17 February 2024, 7:39 by Denis Chabrol

by Guyana National Bureau of Standards

Established in 1959, Brass Aluminum and Cast-Iron Foundry (BACIF) was founded by Mr. Claude Leslie Geddes who began the limited production of Aluminum Pulleys and Cooking Utensils. Sixty-five (65) years later, the company manufactures over 200 different types of items for agriculture, mining, public infrastructure, and other industry stakeholders. The company is now a recipient of international certification to the ISO 9001 Standard and local certification under the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) Permit to use the Made in Guyana Certification Mark Programme. 

BACIF shares a longstanding partnership with the GNBS. In fact, among the products it manufactures are the 500 kg, one tonne and two tonne test masses used by the Bureau’s Legal Metrology Department to verify weigh bridge scales for primarily manufacturers, hardware dealers, and rice millers across Guyana. 

Managing Director of BACIF, Peter Pompey noted that BACIF first achieved certification to the ISO 9001 Quality Management System Standard in 2019 and was recertified in 2022. International certification, he said, has always been the desire of the company’s management. “ISO certification or any certification adds to credibility and the value of an organisation,” he said.

Mr. Pompey said being certified to the Quality Management System (QMS) Standard is testament to the quality of work produced by the company. “Quality is not about an individual or an individual product, it is about a team of people working together to ensure that the objectives are met, and that’s what we continue to strive for,” he said. 

BACIF ISO certification has allowed the GNBS to routinely offer Training and Technical Assistance along with Auditing services to the company to ensure that its QMS is maintained.

In 2022, the company began pursuing the GNBS Permit to Use the Made in Guyana Certification Mark on its products and was successfully certified under the programme on January 09, 2023. Products manufactured by BACIF which are certified Made in Guyana are fire hydrants, manhole cover with frames, test masses and saddle straps. On Thursday, February 08, 2024, the company was recertified to use the GNBS approved Made in Guyana Mark on its products.

The Made in Guyana Certification Mark programme aims to provide recognition to locally manufactured products on the local and international markets and is a signature of quality for authentic Guyanese Products.

The Managing Director of BACIF said achieving Certification from a local certifying body like the GNBS adds value to local products and he encouraged other businesses to get certified. “I would say a resounding yes to [encouraging other businesses to get certified] because we need to take our businesses and our country to a place where we are recognised for authentic things that were made here in Guyana; from cosmetics to haberdashery and so many new and creative work being done by Guyanese, we need to own it”, Mr. Pompey advised.

Finally, as a partner of the GNBS for over four decades, the Managing Director of BACIF committed to continually working with Bureau to access training and other services for the advancement of the business establishment. 

To access any of the GNBS services or to purchase a copy of a standard, contact the GNBS on 219-0064-66, 2190069 or WhatsApp us on 692-4627 (GNBS).