New Site SQF Certification

I work for a growing contract packaging company. We are looking to open new facilities but we are confronted with seemingly a chicken or the egg type growth problem.

We have customers that wish to grow with us, but they require SQF Certification. Our current sites are SQF certified. Our customers want our new facilities to be SQF Certified, but that requires 60 days of records for running that particular product type for it to be in scope for the SQF audit. We have the processes in place and know how to become complaint, the issue is with timing.

How have other companies navigated opening up new facilities for customers that require SQF Certification in order to secure the business?

I have not dealt with this specific issue; however I have dealt with customers. The best advice I can give is to be completely up front and honest about the issue with them. They have expectations that are unreasonable and you need to gently inform them as such.

For your specific issue, see if the customer(s) will accept something on letterhead which explains all the steps being followed to get X location SQF certified, and make sure to say something along the lines of "we are confident this process will be completed by X date, as we currently maintain a SQF certified facility at X location" or something that lays out intent, gives confidence as to why your goal will be reached, etc.

When we have new facilities as clients for SQF Development, etc we write a letter detailing that we have been engaged, what we are doing for the client and provide the steps from zero thru development, into implementation and the needed amount of time needed in order to get ready to begin the auditing process.

We provide the letter to the client and they in turn transmit it to their customers that may be pressing them for certification.  We have found the letter many times paves the way to chilling out some and opening up new potential business with others.

The letter indicates what our estimated time will be to complete our work, what we estimate it will take for implementation and includes our contact information should they wish to contact us in regards to progress, ec.

You should write a similar letter/communication and may want to include information such as the CB that you will be using and that you have joined SQFI - a note that your other facilities are already SQF certified will provide an added assurance that you are serious about getting certified at your new facility.