Impact of new off-site warehouse on system for SQF
Hello Everyone
Hope you are doing great.
Our Management is planning to buy a warehouse about 40km away of the production facility due to space issues
Can someone provide guidance on the steps needed to comply with SQF requirements and smoothly incorporate a newly acquired warehouse, into our existing system?
Thanks
You should conduct a GAP study of the newly acquired location. Is this a relocation or another facility?
You can use one of the existing SQF assessment checklist for your new location:
https://www.sqfi.com...and-checklists/
Also contact the CB, they may be able to assist you on it.
You probably should also get that site certified so you don't have any issues with SQF moving forward
You may be able to change your certification to a multi site one
Think of every program you have in place regarding your current building, and determine which programs fit the new one. Off hand, everything relating to pest control, warehouse handling, shipping/receiving, food defense, recall management, warehouse sanitation, GMP's (lighter version if only warehousing), all of those programs need to be modified to account for the new building.
Your Scope document that defines to SQF where you operate also needs to be updated to reflect the new building. This will include updating general maps, trash handling, people traffic maps, product flow maps, etc.
I've never had to handle the addition of a new building, but I think it would be appropriate to contact your CB to let them know you are adding a new building and want to schedule an audit for just that building (as it is an update to your process). They'd likely schedule the audit to have a few months worth of your monitoring records available for that new building.
Assuming that you have two options.
1. Separate SQF certification under the storage code.
2. Consider your dc a supplier and approve them under your current approved supplier program. Management just needs a separate name for that location.
2 is most cost effective and this is what we did with a client.
On the other hand if this is a warehouse that you ship finished product to priorvto shipment into the market you could simply list them as a customer.
No musa, no fuss.
I am assuming this is an inbound warehouse meaning that raw materials are sent there and then shipped onward to your production facility.
Assuming that you have two options.
1. Separate SQF certification under the storage code.
2. Consider your dc a supplier and approve them under your current approved supplier program. Management just needs a separate name for that location.
2 is most cost effective and this is what we did with a client.
On the other hand if this is a warehouse that you ship finished product to priorvto shipment into the market you could simply list them as a customer.
No musa, no fuss.
So if the warehouse is only used for the storing the finished products that are shipped after they are released to ship. We can simply list them as a customer. There wont be any other requirements?