Warehouse is outsourced-What actions should be taken?
Hi All,
I have been asked to make all the necessary amendments in the QMS in order to integrate the fact that our storage of raw materials and finished products will be moved and placed to a building/brewery next door by us. We are recently BRC accredited for food and wondering if you have any ideas of what actions should I do to fully comply with BRC?
I thought that some procedures such as site security, layout, building fabric monitoring, vulnerability assessment, pest control and cleaning will change. Also,I have found clause 3.5.4 which talks about outsourced steps of processing. Could someone help on interpreting this clause? What should i do?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
Petra
Hi Petra,
Treat them as a supplier and follow your usual process for approval. Ideally you will want them to be BRC S&D, but ISO9001 would be adequate. Audit them as it's next door and record your findings together with the plan to close out all the non-conformances. You will also need a service level agreement/contract that matches your requirements such as who is responsible for collections/deliveries, storage conditions etc.
As far as your QMS goes, make sure that the external warehouse is referenced as the location of raw materials and finished goods.
Thanks a lot, Jim.
What kind of audit should I carry out? Should I prepare a special audit form for this reason?
Ideally you should see yourself as a BRC auditor, as you would expect similar standards. Read through the BRC S&D standard, and everything you can download from the BRC site. There's a lot in the Storage & Distribution FAQ section (http://www.brcglobal...px#.V3PXiPkrIdU) that's useful.
Then build your audit checklist, adding in any extras that are particularly important to you. We have a section on business ethics etc because we're EcoVadis certified and are covered by the UK Modern Slavery Act (and we actually believe that it's important). We also have juice specific questions as that's our business.
Hi Petra,
It appears that you may be faced with –
(1) a First RM RA
(2) a possible notification/approval
(3) an audit/approval or external certification
(4) (a) characterizing the process-related portions which are effectively outsourced.
(4) (b) covering additional traceability factors.
(5) A second RM RA
Ouch ! Good Luck !
I really appreciated your help!
Many thanks to both of you!
Best regards,
Petra
You're welcome. Best of luck with this.