WHAT IS THAT
The IFS Logistics standard applies to logistics services companies and maritime and intermodal transport , national and international forwarders, and therefore to everything concerning the outsourcing of transport logistics .
It was drawn up by German and French retailers, in collaboration with international experts, with the main objective of being able to monitor what happens between production and distribution.IFS Logistics is applicable to food and non-food products , and covers all activities of transport, storage, distribution, loading/unloading, etc.
Applies to all types of logistics : delivery by road, rail or ship; refrigerated/frozen or uncooled transport.
The purposes of the standard are:
- Establish a uniform standard and evaluation system
- Appoint certification bodies and accredited and qualified auditors
- Make the entire production chain transparent and comparable
- Reduce costs for retailers and suppliers , including those of logistics services.
KEY POINTS
The standard provides that companies intending to get certified must worry about:
- carry out a hazard and risk analysis (the HACCP system in the case of food products),
- have a documented and effective quality management system
- have control over environmental, product, process and personnel standards .
The standard consists of a common basis of requirements (the first 5 chapters) applicable to all companies and a specific part (the last 2 chapters) for some types of companies in the logistics chain (transport; storage/distribution centres).
ADVANTAGES
- The possible synergies between the various schemes allow for a reduction in the time and costs required for the various inspections. In fact, having a single point of contact for all company certifications allows the optimization of possible synergies between these standards and ISO 9001 (Quality Management System); therefore the intervention of the certification body can be concentrated in a single check, avoiding having to check several times the aspects common to the various schemes, with evident savings in time, energy and costs.
- The international recognition of the Standard which allows us to respond to requests from customers from all over Europe.
- For companies that already apply a quality management system according to ISO 9000 or use the HACCP methodology, compliance with these standards is very rapid.
- The reduction of second party inspections , i.e. those carried out on behalf of customers on the supplier company, with a reduction in costs to be incurred, both direct (expenses relating to inspections) and indirect (inevitable slowdowns in production activity coinciding with the numerous second party inspections).
- Choosing CSQA also means making use of a body with vast experience in supply chain certifications, and with numerous BRC and IFS Food certifications issued, thus summarizing the experiences and management skills of the GDO schemes.