Fulfilment of all international specifications for the manufacturing of food packaging / extensive measures
Remshalden / Werne. The extreme dedication of Klingele Papierwerke GmbH & Co. KG, one of the leading independent manufacturers of corrugated board and corrugated cardboard packaging, has now paid off in a very special way in the food industry. The Klingele packaging plant in Werne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany whose specialities include food packaging, has been certified in accordance with the strict global standards of the BRC-IoP/4 and has been awarded the top category (category A).
After an optimisation process of almost two years spread across all sections of the company and the entire process chain, Klingele has been accredited with fulfilment of all specifications of the food industry for the manufacturing of cardboard packaging. Therefore the international specification guidelines which also involve the supplier industry have come full circle. The standards set out by the BRC-IoP regarding the handling of food are considered as being the strictest international reference.
At the launch in 2011, an initial 80 fields of activity from the core areas of personal hygiene, order and cleanliness as well as risk and hazard management were identified in the packaging plant in Werne (where 70% of customers are from the food industry) from an extensive catalogue of requirements comprising around 200 points. These were subsequently implemented according to the BRC-IoP one step at a time.
Improved supplier category before accreditation
The BRC-IoP also includes in particular the line clearance project (computerised and secure prevention of mixing the products during the manufacturing process) or the closed door policy asserted in the BRC manual. This states that all transitions between zones as well as all doors and windows should remain closed on the production site so as to prevent the entry of dirt and vermin. Among the measures in this regard has been the installation of a new ventilation system.
The optimisation process which is now also officially attested with the BRC certification has been positively received by Klingele customers for some time now and has gained a significant vote of confidence. As a result the number of customer audits has noticeably reduced in the last two years. Several food manufacturers had already rated the plant in Werne in an improved supplier category before accreditation.
After Elst in Holland, Werne is the second production site of the Klingele group which has managed to fulfil the high BRC standards. The company would now like to have all other plants certified in the near future so that the company can guarantee consistent high production standards to all customers from the food industry throughout Europe.
The successful fulfilment of the BRC requirements is just another example of the uncompromising focus of Klingele on the interests of its customers and the market. Klingele proves itself time and time again to be a highly efficient partner, innovator and competent problem solver.
BRC Facts & Figures
The British Retail Consortium together with the Institute of Packaging (IoP) defines the standards which have been specified as binding by retail chains, for suppliers of packaging in the food industry. The BRC / IoP standard does not only apply to primary packaging (direct contact with high-risk products) but rather to secondary packaging (high-risk products without direct contact) and also to low-level risk packaging. The BRC-IoP standard complies with a standard now in worldwide effect. The certification according to the BRC-IoP standard has only been approved for the following two certification organisations in Germany certified by the DAkkS (the national accreditation body for the Federal Republic of Germany); Bureau Veritas and Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Zertifizierung von Managementsystemen GmbH (DQS).