Center for promotion of quality in production and services

As a result of the multiannual successful activities in the implementation of the quality management systems in accordance with the International Standard ISO 9001:2008, in 2000 a Center for promotion of quality in production and services was formed within the Economic Chamber of Macedonia.

The activities started as technical assistance from the UK Government and the Know How Fund, in cooperation with Bywater plc., as a consulting company. Apart from the implementation of the project entitled "Implementing ISO 9001 in the Macedonian economy” in a number of companies, the training of consultants and leading auditors of the Economic Chamber of Macedonia was another benefit of these activities.

In the past period, the knowledge and experience gained by the above stated experts in accordance with the British methodology enabled a successful implementation of the ISO 9001 standards in production and services.

The Economic Chamber of Macedonia, wanting to fully complete the activities and the certification of the quality management systems, had established contacts with the renowned certification house BSI (British Standards Institution), the experts of which performed the certification.

The domestic leading checkers, together with the British experts, were also involved in the process, which was assessed as a great asset in the process of acquiring competencies in this field by undergoing a certain number of trainings (theoretical and practical).

The Quality Center does not only provide the above stated services.

Following current trends directed towards environmental protection, the ISO 14001:2004 standard for the environmental management system becomes more significant and represents the influence of the organization or the company on and towards the environment. With the assistance of the Quality Center, the implementation of the ISO 1400 standard determines which of the working processes in the company pollutes the environment, then sets realistic objectives and introduces measures necessary for those to be achieved.
The Quality Center provides consultation on the introduction of HACCP- systems (systems for identification, evaluation and control of hazards relevant to food safety) applicable to the food industry, and as a summary of the requirements of ISO 9001 and HACCP, it assists in the implementation of the ISO 22000 standard that gives a general approach in the food safety management system.

As consumers increasingly care about the quality and safety of food products, the food industry sets high demands referring to that. Today there are numerous standards and norms in the world and their implementation and approval by the competent authorities proves the quality and safety of the products. One of the most present requirements in the food industry is the HALAL- standard that takes the lion’s share on an international level. For the implementation of this standard the Quality Center has a resource authorized by the HALAL Certification Agency from Tuzla.

The dynamic of the work asks for a more active approach to the health and safety protection of the employees when performing their work and it will identify the potential risks, will deter them, or, with the preventive activities it will reduce the probability for their appearance to an acceptable level. The business globalization imposes the need of creating a framework for establishing a protection system that, with the verification done by authorized certified bodies, will be internationally accepted, i.e. it will send a message to the employees, clients and the business partners from abroad that the health and safety risks in the company are managed in an efficient and internationally verified way.

The ISO 45001 standard is dedicated to the issues for efficient and effective health and safety risk management of the employees, and it is also part of the services provided by the Quality Center.

Implementing management systems:
- ISO 9001
- ISO 14001
- ISO 22000
- ISO 45001
- HACCP
- HALAL

Contact person: Emilia Todorovska
Expert at the organizational unit for development, innovation, and knowledge
Phone: ++ 389 2 3244047
Fax: ++ 389 2 3244088
E-mail: emilija@mchamber.mk
Contact Call center: + 389 2 15015

What is ISO 9001?

ISO 9001 is the most famous international norm that sets requests for establishing and maintaining the quality management system and is applicable to all type of organizations (profit/nonprofit, production/service-providing, small/medium/big).
It encompasses the basic processes inside the organization (sales, development, procurement, production/services, etc.) assuring hat through the activities these processes are led in controlled conditions, and, as such, comply with the requests of the relevant stakeholders:

• process description
• setting measurable objectives of the processes on the basis of compared data and information
• measuring and monitoring of the processes via key parameters
• data analysis and reporting on the success of the processes
• improving the processes

The quality management system, pursuant to the demands of ISO 9001, today is used in the whole world and its certification is a generally accepted mode of proving the current and potential partners that the product or the service will meet their needs in terms of quality.

A well developed and maintained quality management system has a positive contribution to the fulfillment of the objectives in the work, at the same time improving the:

    • buyers’ satisfaction and trust
    • overall results and abilities
    • better quality of products/services
    • better labor productivity
    • less mistakes
    • lower costs
    • timely delivery, etc.

Quality management system

The organization has to establish, document, apply and maintain the quality management system, and to continuously improve its efficiency pursuant to the demands of this international standard.

Introduction of a quality system

The Economic Chamber of Macedonia, more precisely the Center for the promotion of the quality in the production and services, which functions within the Chamber, works on introducing a quality management system pursuant to ISO 9001.

Dynamic/action plan of activities

• Structure of support/Action plan
• Analysis of processes and preparation of block diagrams
• Programme for raising the awareness about quality
• Development and preparation do documented information
• Internal checks
• Checking the quality system by the management
• Pre-assessment
• Certification

Necessary documented information

The documented information that is to be prepared in order for the demands of the standard to be met is as follows:

1. Quality manual
2. Procedures/diagrams for main processes
    Procedures/diagrams for additional processes
    Procedures/diagrams for systemic processes
3. Working guidelines for all critical and specific activities that are taking place within the defined process
4. Entries that generate information from all defined processes, as an impartial proof of the activity that has been performed
          4.1. Quality policy
          4.2. General statement
          4.3. Organizational scheme
          4.4. Scope of the quality system
          4.5. Quality aims

Internal checks

The organization has to implement internal checks in planned time spans, so that it confirms that the quality management system is established and harmonized with the planned activities regarding the demands of the standards, and that it is effectively implemented and maintained. There is a procedure for internal checks that outlines the course of the activities relevant in this process in detail:

• internal check planning
• making a team of persons responsible for the internal checks
• review of the documentation
• preparation of check lists
• notifications for those who have been checked
• holding an introductory meeting
• implementation of an internal check
• defining the findings
• holding a wrap up meeting
• issuing requests for corrective measures and a report

Corrective measures

The organization should conduct activities to eliminate the reasons that caused discrepancies with the objective to prevent their reappearance- a corrective measure. The organization should set activities that have an objective to eliminate the obstacles that would cause potential discrepancies in order to prevent their appearance. The procedure for a corrective measure describes in detail all necessary activities, relevant for this process:

• looking for discrepancies
• defining the reasons that caused the appearance of discrepancies
• assessment of the need of a measure that will prevent reappearance of discrepancies
• determining and implementing the necessary measure
• checking the corrective measure that has been undertaken

Pre-assessment of the quality system

The pre-assessment of the quality management system is the final stage of the project- introduction to a quality management system. About four to six weeks before the certification made by the Certifying Body, a full pre-assessment should be performed of the quality management system by the Economic Chamber of Macedonia. The pre-assessment is seen as an exercise for the “real” certification that follows.
At this level, it is not desirable for any major discrepancy to be detected, but the experience, including the communication with the persons who perform the check of the Certifying Body will be of great benefit, on the basis of which concrete corrective measures will be undertaken if certain discrepancies are to be found.

What is ISO 14001?

ISO 14001 is an international voluntary norm/standard for environmental management system that meets the needs of different organizations from all over the world providing them with a significant framework for solving the environment-related problems.

The standard enables an improvement of the environmental management which can facilitate the trade and it can raise the environmental protection at a higher level all over the world.

The key principles of ISO 14001

• should result in the improvement of the environmental management
• should be applicable in all the countries
• should incite the interest of the public and the norms/standards beneficiaries
• should be financially rewarding and flexible so that they can meet the different needs of all types of organizations from all over the world
• should be suitable for internal and external verification
• should be scientifically supported
• should be practical, useful and employable

Environmental management system

The environmental management system (EMS) is a systemic approach to the treatment of the environmental issues in any organization. This is a tool that enables an organization working in any area and of any size to have an insight to the influence of its activities, products or services on the environment.

What is the benefit of having implemented the environmental management system?

• assuring the buyers that the organization is committed to environmental management
• maintaining good relations with the public and local community
• maintaining good relations with the public and with the local community
• meeting the criteria of the investors and improving the capital availability
• getting insurance services for a reasonable price
• improving the “image” and the share of the market
• meeting the criteria of the certifying bodies
• reducing the incidents that result in responsibility
• improving the control over the expenditures
• showing reasonable care about the environmental state
• preserving the raw materials and energy
• facilitated conditions for obtaining permits and authorizations
• encouraging the development and obtaining a decision for the protection and promotion of the environment
• improving the relations between the industry and the state administration

Environmental policy

The environmental policy and the requests for being committed to this policy via long-term and short-term objectives and program for the environmental protection include:

Planning

The planning encompasses an analysis of all forms of influence of the organization on the environment (including processes, products and services).

Implementation and enforcement

The implementation and organization of the processes is made due to the control and promotion of the operational activities that are of a crucial importance for the influence on the environment (including the products and the services of that organization).

Review and corrective activities

The review and the corrective activities include supervision, measuring and registering the traits and activities that can have a significant influence on the environment.

Review by the management team

The management team reviews the environmental management system of the organization so that it is reassured of its continuous stability, impeccability and responsibility.

Continuous promotion

The concept of continuous promotion is a key component of the environmental management system. It wraps up the whole process of planning, implementation, checks, reviews and continuous improvement.

The ISO 14001 series requests can be divided into two main groups: those directed towards the organization and those directed towards the products. The requests directs towards the organization provide establishment, maintenance and estimation of the of the environmental management system. They establish relations with the other system and functions in the organization related to the environment. The request directed to the products refers to the determination of the influence of the products and services on the environment in the course of their life span/cycle marking and declaring the product and its adjustment to the environment. These requests will help the organization to collect information necessary for the support of the planning and decision-making process, while if it concerns more specific issues in the field of environmental protection they will be helpful for the buyers and for the other stakeholders.

What does ISO 14001 ask from the organization?

1. Establishing proper regulations regarding environmental protection.
2. Applicability of the regulations that have been adopted.
3. Providing ideal management structure that would enable you to put the permits, licenses, authorizations, etc. at one place and to be successfully applied in the working activities.

ISO 22000 is a standard that describes the requests for the food safety management system that integrates the use of the techniques of the Hazard analysis and Critical control point, the defined prerequisites for safe production of food and communication with the interested parties by emphasizing the gradual approach based on defined risks and possibilities.
Who this standard refers to?
All enterprises directly or indirectly included in the food chain- starting from food and fodder producers, through the equipment producers, processors to wholesale and retail distributers.
Purpose of the standard
To harmonize at a global level the requests for food management in the food industry and in the food-related industries.
To officially determine the elements that are comprised in one food management system.

Key elements of the standard

- Interactive communication
- Systemic management
- Programs of prerequisites/ pre-preparatory programs
- HACCP principles

Benefits from having introduced the standard

- Resource optimization (internal and through the whole food chain)
- More efficient and dynamic food safety and control of potential dangers
- All control measures are directed towards an analysis of the dangers
- Improved planning, less process verifications
- Improved documentation
- Systematic management with pre-preparatory programs
- The control is directed towards what is necessary
- Wide application since the focus is put on the final product
- Valid basis for making decisions
- Increased responsibility
- Dynamic communication regarding issues related to food, suppliers, buyers (consumers), regulatory bodies and other stakeholders
- Resource optimization (internal and through the whole food chain)
- More efficient and dynamic food safety and control of potential dangers
- All control measures are directed towards an analysis of the dangers
- Systematic and proactive approach to the identification of the dangers regarding food safety and development and implementation of controls
- Increased trust towards the organizations that have implemented this standard in the sense of them being able to identify and control the dangers
- Reference for the whole food chain
- Contributes to better understanding and future development of the HACCP Code
- Has more systematic approach than a production one
- Fills the gap between ISO 9001 and HACCP
- Creates a framework for a third-degree certification
- Is a standard that can be easily checked with clear demands
- Suitable to regulations
- Is a basis for harmonizing the national standards

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What is the International Featured Standard Food?

IFS Food is an international standard for assessing product and process compliance in relation to food safety and quality. The IFS Food standard applies to suppliers at all steps of food processing subsequent to the agricultural stage.

IFS food meets the criteria of the Global Food Safety Initiative – GFSI, set up to promote the food safety system by aligning the existing food standards with the recommendations of manufacturers and consumers. In other words, GFSI established a common harmonized approach to the food sector for the certification bodies, underpinning a familiar principle in other areas of compliance assessment that reads “certified once, accepted everywhere.”

The main reason for this initiative was the fact that at the time GFSI was set up, nearly every manufacturer or retailer wished their suppliers were certified according to the food safety standard they prefer. This resulted in instances where suppliers had to undergo multiple certifications according to their load and by rather similar, but essentially identical, standards that verify the safety and quality of the food products and the production process.

In line with the aforementioned, the main objectives of GFSI are as follows:

Eliminating redundancy and improving the operational efficiency of the global food system.
Defining a general and efficient global food safety system.
Reduce food safety risks by delivering equivalence and convergence between effective food safety management systems.

The assessment checklist is aligned with the GFSI Benchmarking Requirements, FSMA, and EU regulations. The requirements are related to the quality management system, the HACCP system (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points), and detailed prerequisite programs including GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) GHP (Good Hygiene Practice). It also includes requirement related to the development of a positive food safety culture. The retailers as well as food manufacturers require IFS food certification from the suppliers that are included in their supply chain.

IFS history

In 2003, the German Retailers Association (HDE- Handelverband Deutschland) and their French colleagues, the French Retailers Association (FCD – Federation des Enterprises du Commerce et de la Distribution) developed a common audit standard for food suppliers.
The assessment ensured a single approach to food suppliers. This was the first version of IFS Food, intended to certify suppliers of private label food products for retail trade.
IFS Management GmbH is global scheme owner of GSFI benchmarked food safety and quality standards under FCD and HDE. This includes packages of global safety and quality standards and programs that ensure comparability and transparency throughout the entire supply chain, from the initial production onward.
IFS standards can be applied to various operations and activities in the food and non-food sector. All IFS standards follow risk-based approach, providing flexibility for the users to implement the requirements in their business with regard to the specific product and process risks.

IFS Objectives, Mission and Vision

The objective of IFS Food certification is to verify whether a manufacturer can produce a product that is safe and in accordance with customer specifications. That is why both product safety and product quality are essential components of all IFS Standards.
The product - and process-oriented IFS Audit assumes that the production of high-quality products is only assured through correspondingly functioning processes.
IFS Standards are uniform global safety and quality standards that provide transparency and comparability along the entire supply chain.
Thereby, IFS strives to meet all the challenges of globalization in addition to the constantly growing significance of private labels, the trading companies are responsible for.
An IFS certification reduces costs for long repeated audits and additionally optimizes supplier management by means of uniform reports and a modern, user-friendly database.
The mission of IFS to “deliver trusted products” clearly states that IFS schemes go beyond product safety with the aim to deliver trusted products that fulfill the expectations of the buying company/client.
With an eye to the fact that an IFS Certificate demonstrates that the company has implemented a functional food safety and quality system, IFS and its huge network continuously increase and optimize the portfolio of Standards, Assessment Protocols, as well as supporting tools and documents.
Therefore, IFS has defined “Providing trusted standards and services to cooperate within the supply chain to improve product integrity” as present and future goal.
Continuous improvement is not only the objective for certified companies, it is applicable to IFS as well.

Benefits of being IFS certified

Having a common standard and a uniform way to evaluate the quality level of suppliers reduces the need for second party audits. For retailers, manufacturers and suppliers, supply chain management becomes more consistent and efficient. It reduces the overall costs of the process, and increases the level of safety for customers, suppliers, and consumers. The standard enables your organization to provide evidence of commitment, and, in case of a food safety incident, legal defense in the frame of the due diligence concept.