6 replies to this topic

[Nathan hanson]

Hi friends,

Could someone please help to send newest Costa coffee supplier audit standard?

We are a packaging material manufacturer, producing paper and plastic cups, and we will be audited by SGS pointed by Costa, but we dont know what we should prepare to this coming audit.

Thanks very much!!

 

Nathan

 

[Charles.C]

Hi friends,

Could someone please help to send newest Costa coffee supplier audit standard?

We are a packaging material manufacturer, producing paper and plastic cups, and we will be audited by SGS pointed by Costa, but we dont know what we should prepare to this coming audit.

Thanks very much!!

 

Nathan

 

I suggest you ask SGS (or Costa) for details regarding their audit Scope.

[Nathan hanson]

Actually we asked but they would not like to give us the standard, which confuses us a lot.

[pHruit]

Actually we asked but they would not like to give us the standard, which confuses us a lot.

 

I've no experience with Costa, but have encountered a similar situation to yours. I still can't get my head around the logic of wanting a supplier to conform to a standard that they aren't allowed to see...

My approach has been:

1) Politely ask how they expect you to meet the standard if you aren't able to review a copy of it, usually followed by;

2) Call their head office, ask to speak to someone in QA/technical/regulatory, and explain your predicament.

 

If (1) doesn't work, I've tended to find (2) quite successful - it shows a positive approach as you're going out of your way to try to do what they want, and more often than not I've found that the people towards the top are as confused as I am about it and get things sorted out fairly swiftly...

[SQFconsultant]

I realize that SGS is rather large in China, however there are other auditing companies (unless of course the only one for Costa is SGS in China) that could provide what you need. If there are other ones available to you I would suggest (as one of our clients has done) contacting them and asking them if you booked your audit with them would they provide you with the standards that you need - if they do, go back to SGS and give them another chance to provide it and if they don't go with the other company.

 

If that is a no-go, the next best route is to contact the Costa company itself - call the Director/VP etc of Quality Assurance and request a copy of the standard and a copy of the actual audit format if you can get it.  I have found that most companies will provide this.

[TimG]

Our company has a recently SQF certified facility in China, and I've heard some interesting stories about how they do business in that area. It is quite possible the reason the standard isn't being provided is they want you to hire an 'authorized' consultant whom they do provide the standard to, and whom they receive kickbacks from.

Did they give you a list of 'authorized' consultants, or something similar?

[SQFconsultant]

Our company has a recently SQF certified facility in China, and I've heard some interesting stories about how they do business in that area. It is quite possible the reason the standard isn't being provided is they want you to hire an 'authorized' consultant whom they do provide the standard to, and whom they receive kickbacks from.

Did they give you a list of 'authorized' consultants, or something similar?

 

I find the "authorized consultant" thing to be very seamly. 

 

We were approached by a couple of companies to get on their "recommended consulting list" which they advertise to potential suppliers but we refused the "marketing fees" of $5,000/yr, $20,000/yr and $50,000/yr - I imagine that over the years in our consulting business that we've lost a couple of hundred thousand dollars for not doing this, but it always hit me as being dirty.

 

There's a couple of auditing companies that I like, however 2 of the 3 can't do Costco adendums, because they have not been "approved" by Costco to do so - approval means paying a fee to become approved.

 

This is similar in nature to food companies paying endless fees to supermarket chains for product position, side and end caps, etc.

 

I remember when I inspected ShopRite food stores in New Jersey (us) a manager I was talking to tell me that their store and the company that ran a group of stores made a lot of money on product positioning and end caps --- sometimes more so than the actual profit from the product. amazing.

 

corruption and graft.