Moving RM offsite and FG onsite, how will this affect Regulatory/SQF?
Hey everyone I posted a similar question a few days ago but now this one is the new decision and I want some guidance
This is what senior management are proposing:
So an SQF facility that has raw material and manufacturing. Will now only be manufacturing (unchanged) but they want to move RM out to another storage warehouse (raw material warehouse) and then move Finished products to the manufacturing warehouse that is SQF certified. I am not sure about this one since raw material receiving is essential to SQF. How will this change. Manager asked me if the other warehouse (where he wants to put raw material) can be SQF certified.
To sum up: An SQF certified raw material and manufacturing facility will now only have finished goods and still have manfucaturing. All raw material will be moved to another warehouse for storage. Is this acceptable and will there be any changes to SQF? Anything regulatory too? And if we can have the other RM warehouse certified as well.
Thanks!
Two options --
1. you include the other warehouse (depending on location - I am assuming close by) in your scope. The facility would need to be in compliance with the requirements of SQF of course and you would need to modify (slightly) your existing SQF FSMS and do an alert to your CB for inclusion - they will either ask to come and visit now or wait for your next audit date.
2. The company can get the warehouse it's own certification, which would be under the SQF Code for Storage, etc. and this would be a separate certification, separate SQF system, etc. This would also allow you to say to potential customers that the facility is SQF Certified if you should ever decided to store for other companies, ship direct to customer from that location, etc.
I'd go for door #1 if under the same name (entity) and #2 if self-contained and under different name.
We've got three clients - similar kind of situation and two went for inclusion in current scope and one went with door #2 as they had excess storage area and wanted to offer pass-thru to customers and the customers would require the storage facility to be certified.
Glenn hit the nail on the head. Opt for #1 and they likely won't even come for a visit. You'll have to show you meet SQF with documents, records, and pictures / videos, but likely not come out to visit before your next audit.
My former company we did this exact thing, although it included FG as well, but it went pretty smoothly. The warehouse was in very rough shape, but the company put the time and money into it to fix it, and do it correctly. The warehouse was even shared with another tenant (vegetable distributor) who sorted vegetables in a "chill room" and then commingled their finished sorted vegetables with our dairy / milk, and non-dairy beverages. We were able to define and segregate the two materials (very different). A great warehouse manager made our lives MUCH, MUCH easier.
Hopefully, you will have good leadership in place at that warehouse and won't have to visit it too often.