The SHEQ department

Standards and requirements

Based on these standards there are a number of requirements that must be monitored and respected, and on which regular inspections are conducted. This kind of inspection is called an ‘audit’, a screening of the company’s operations. During such audits, the quality team takes the lead to gather everyone concerned (site manager, team leaders, facilities department, etc.) to check every aspect and – if necessary – make adjustments in order to meet the appropriate standard.

Jacqueline explains: “We actually work like inspectors. We check whether the warehouse operations meet the requirements defined in the standard and therefore what is necessary to guarantee a quality procedure.”

Food safety

Each step in the product process must satisfy particular requirements and conditions. That includes the logistics process of storage and transport. Packaging, people, transport, IT, safety and the environment are important too, of course.

“In warehouses where we handle food, food safety is extremely important. Here, our tasks include checking how clean and tidy the warehouse is, that the correct procedures are carried out in the case of breakage, whether sorting is done correctly, and so on. Specific attention is paid to the storage of perishable food of animal origin. Food safety culture and protecting the food chain is everyone’s responsibility”, says Jacqueline.

Guardians of the rules

“Quality is a legal obligation. On the other hand, it is a choice, often emerging from a contractual agreement with the customer. This means there are customers who add a number of extra requirements on top of the standard guidelines. As guardians of the rules, we check that we (continue to) meet all these requirements at all times”, explains Ann.

“That’s right”, confirms Natascha: “From our birds-eye perspective, we support the sites. We do not give actual training ourselves, but we do provide the necessary support and information. Also, we conduct internal inspections in order to keep all employees on their toes with regards to the rules that must be respected.”

Internal and external audits

“We are keen to avoid any unpleasant surprises, which is why we organise monthly consultation moments with the site managers to follow up on ongoing action points. Besides that, we conduct a monthly food safety audit and we have an annual internal audit to check the standard(s) at the site in question. After all, external audits are done too – for example, by the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain – and those are not always announced beforehand”, warns Ann.

In this way Distrilog is targeting a logistics service with the emphasis on quality and safety. As such, we demonstrate our customer focus with the necessary engagement and attention towards our employees.