Quality management: the freight forwarder Müller Transporte relies on international standards

CONTENT

• Comprehensive quality and risk management as a guarantee for success
• Quality management along the entire supply chain
• Industry-specific integrated management system
• TAPA - Risk management in logistics
• GDP - Quality in the pharmaceutical supply chain
• Interview with Head of Quality Karina Silberbauer
• Quality management for forwarding companies - Conclusion

The Müller Group is one of the leading companies in the industry in Austria and sees itself as a link between industrial companies, producers and trade. Müller Transporte GmbH, whose integrated management system is the subject of this article, has developed within the group into a specialist in the area of temperature-controlled loads with its own refrigerated warehouses and storage facilities.

The company renews the vehicles in the company fleet at short intervals so that the vehicles always comply with the latest environmental regulations. With the wide range of its fleet, the dedicated and well-trained workforce and an effective quality management system specifically designed to meet the requirements of the logistics industry, the company is able to continuously provide a high level of service, especially in terms of punctuality and reliability. 

Comprehensive quality and risk management as a guarantee for success

Spedition Müller Transporte relies on an integrated management system consisting of ISO 9001, TAPA and GDP. The DQS-certified, industry-specific management system supports the effective implementation of comprehensive quality management and risk management. While quality management according to ISO 9001 forms the process-oriented management basis of the forwarding company, the focus, solutions and approaches are based on the requirements of TAPA and GDP.

The approach enables a high level of service across the entire supply chain. This contributes to a correspondingly high service quality and thus customer satisfaction. The company's approach shows that the use of modern IT systems is an essential part of an effective management system, especially in the transport and logistics sector, in order to be able to offer consistently secure logistics services at a high level. 

ISO 9001 - Quality Management

A quality management system in accordance with the globally recognized (DIN EN) ISO 9001 standard starts at various corners: At the corporate structure, the procedures, processes and resources necessary to meet the individual quality requirements in the organization. With the help of comprehensive quality management, framework conditions are defined that enable transparent processes and measurable results and systematically reduce risks.

In doing so, the company management is included in the responsibility and the focus is placed on the entire context of the company. Attention is also paid to legal and customer-specific aspects in the supply chain of freight forwarders, which must be observed and complied with.

TAPA - Transport Asset Protection Association

TAPA is an association of more than 600 leading global manufacturers, logistics service providers, freight forwarders, law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders. TAPA's goal is to reduce cargo loss and theft within the global supply chain. The framework relies on the use of real-time information with the help of appropriate IT systems and the latest theft prevention measures.

TAPA is divided into three certifiable sub-areas:

• Facility Security Requirements formulates requirements for building security (TAPA FSR).
• Trucking Security Requirements formulates requirements for transportation security (TAPA TSR)
• Parking Security Requirements contains requirements for the security of parking lots and cargo yards (TAPA PSR)

GDP - Good Distribution Practice

Good Distribution Practice is the sum of those measures that ensure that the quality and integrity of pharmaceuticals is maintained by controlling the distribution chain. Pharmaceutical manufacturers and their logistics providers must comply with GDP requirements. GDP requires an effective quality management system, so companies can supplement the specific requirements of the GDP guideline with relatively little effort. DQS' GDP compliance audit is based on the EU Guideline for Good Distribution Practice of Medicinal Products for Human Use (2013/C 343/01).

Quality management in freight forwarding - along the entire supply chain

The process-oriented quality management system according to ISO 9001 is effective in all corners of the organizational structure. It extends from order entry, through transport, to invoicing, and across the entire supply chain management.

"The ISO 9001:2015 certification has helped us to record processes in more detail, to define process indicators more precisely, and to define process parameters as well as process owners," says Karina Silberbauer, Head of Quality Management at Müller Transporte.

Strict process orientation helps significantly to design company processes in such a way that they meet and often exceed customer expectations. A regular opportunity and risk assessment of the processes contributes to a continuous improvement of the company's operations. This is why quality management in logistics is particularly important for sustainable success.

Industry-specific integrated management system

Until 2018, the quality management of Spedition Müller Transporte GmbH was based on the IFS (International Featured Standard) food standard, primarily because of the food transport business segment. This system was then initially integrated with TAPA TSR, and later with TAPA PSR, followed from 2019 by GDP and the ISO 9001 standard, which provided a broad basis for comprehensive, risk-based quality management.

In 2022, Müller Transporte then achieved their ISO 14001 certification in order to include aspects of environmental protection. These are now increasingly required in the logistics, transport and traffic sectors. The basic structure common to all ISO management system standards (High Level Structure, HLS for short) makes it much easier to integrate the environment-specific standard requirements into the freight forwarder's existing quality management system. The expansion of the integrated management system always pursues the goal of fully meeting customer requirements.

TAPA - Risk management in logistics

As a reliable transport and logistics service provider, Müller Transporte has subjected all processes to a very comprehensive risk analysis and verifies this analysis at least once a year. The results of this verification are summarized and serve as the basis for the risk-based solution approach. One risk in international transport, for example, is cargo crime, which is why electronically lockable trailers with door alarm systems are used for certain shipments.

TAPA - Standard for more security in the supply chain

Freight crime is one of the biggest challenges in the supply chain. This applies to both manufacturers of valuable products and their logistics service providers. In this blog post, you can read about the options potentially affected parties have with the TAPA standards to counteract this activity.

Quality management of freight forwarding according to ISO 9001 requires a process-oriented approach and helps to define goals more precisely, to document them correctly and to evaluate them. TAPA TSR and TAPA PSR certification, on the other hand, focuses on safety.

Both security during transport and security on the company premises are very important issues for the freight forwarder, as freight crime is becoming an ever greater challenge in the supply chain. Müller Transporte has defined processes for this, trained drivers and dispatchers, assessed the risk of different transport routes, but also purchased appropriate equipment to ensure safe transport.

GDP - Quality in the pharmaceutical supply chain

In quality management, GDP certification has also helped to optimize the central processes of the forwarding company. For example, monthly self-inspections have since been introduced, which are carried out strictly according to a checklist in order to be able to react as quickly as possible in the event of non-compliance with (process) specifications. For customers in the blood plasma sector, for example, there are customer-specific training courses for drivers in addition to the general training courses. Here, the requirements of the different plasma pick-ups are precisely defined.

In addition, the scheduling department works through customer-specific checklists in coordination with the drivers before each transport. This enables Müller Transporte to meet the strict specifications of a plasma transport. The scheduling team responsible for plasma transports also receives additional customer-specific training.

In both pharmaceutical and food transport, "cleaning" is an important issue, which is why an automated interior cleaning system was installed. The new warehouse has been given an additional ramp specifically for this purpose, at which the trailers dock. There, a system automatically recognizes the license plate number and the predefined cleaning process starts. A robot drives into the trailer, washes and disinfects its interior. The system automatically documents the cleaning, which makes it much easier to evaluate the cleaning records.

GDP is the EU guideline for Good Distribution Practice for medicinal products for human use. It focuses on distribution, safety, cold chain, packaging quality and reliable, functional technology.

The transport temperature also represents a high risk for the shipping company. The processes have therefore been designed so that temperature monitoring is carried out via modern IT systems in order to be able to react as quickly as possible in the event of problems. This in turn requires regular training of the employees. The IT systems come from the refrigeration unit manufacturers. However, they are integrated into the scheduling software as far as possible in order to make the day-to-day work of the scheduling department easier.

The company also places high demands on the "knowledge management" chapter. The drivers have smartphones with mobile device management and a training app. With which they must complete their training at least once a year. Each training session concludes with a documented knowledge check.

Quality management in freight forwarding: Interview with Karina Silberbauer

Ms. Silberbauer, you have introduced "comprehensive quality and risk management" in your company within just three years. 

What support did you receive from your top management?

The responsibility of top management is a very important issue for us. And I think that is also what distinguishes our company. Our management, Mr. and Mrs. Müller, are very involved in our quality management. They live the quality philosophy and set a good example. As a result, all of our innovations are seen as sensible by the employees and meet with the corresponding approval. Without the support from the very top, this would not be possible.

How closely is your management involved in the certification process?

Our management is always heavily involved in the certification process. It also uses the DQS audits to obtain a qualified external opinion on whether management is performing its intended tasks well and whether the integration of the standard requirements has been implemented. It also always provides the necessary resources for this, as required by (DIN EN) ISO 9001:2015.

What do your customers say about the new certifications?

Our customers of course very much appreciate the fact that we have received these certifications, especially in the area of pharmaceutical transport. You can see from this that certification can bring a competitive advantage. After all, certified quality is what the customer wants, and we can demonstrably fulfill this wish for them.

In this respect, certifications of management systems are an essential aspect in external presentation. Do you also see a significant "internal" benefit for your company?

Absolutely! I think that we are constantly developing through our certifications. Especially through the annual monitoring audits. During these audits, the trained eyes of the auditors repeatedly reveal potential for improvement. And these in turn contribute to the continuous improvement process. Our certified quality management is therefore to the benefit of our customers, to name just one important aspect.

As you know, there are many certifiers - how did you hear about DQS?

DQS was initially recommended to us for TAPA-TSR certification. And since we were so satisfied with DQS in general and with our auditor, Andreas Völkerding in particular, we then decided to also implement ISO 9001 and soon ISO 14001 with DQS.

This is very gratifying ...

... yes, we are very happy to have chosen DQS as our certification company. Our DQS auditor not only has a very good knowledge of the industry. He is also very responsive to our company, shows us possibilities for improvement and always organizes the audit in a very pleasant, but at the same time very professional way. Of course, it is also very positive that Mr. Völkerding is a logistics man himself, which is an essential part of a value-added audit.

A nice conclusion - thank you very much for the interview.

Spedition Müller Transporte GmbH is part of the Müller Group. In Austria, the company is one of the most efficient logistics service providers in Central Europe in the area of temperature-controlled loads and has its own modern refrigerated warehouses and storage facilities. The company's portfolio is divided into three areas:

• Food logistics: distribution of fruit and vegetables within Europe
• Pharmaceutical logistics: customized transport solutions for highly sensitive products, such as blood plasma, etc.
• High-security logistics: transport of high-value goods using special security systems

Quality management for freight forwarding - Conclusion

Transport and logistics companies operate in an industry that involves many risks and where safety and reliability are paramount. In addition, there are legal, normative and customer-specific aspects in the supply chain that must be observed and complied with - both here and in countries around the world.

Crucial tools for this are effective, often integrated management systems based on internationally recognized norms and industry standards. They enable clear, resilient processes to manage risks and transform them into positive action. What's more, they are regarded as globally recognized proof of quality and create confidence in your company's performance.

In addition to the classic management system standards such as ISO 9001 or ISO 14001, the focus is on the many different standards for the industry, such as audits in accordance with TAPA, the GDP guideline or ISO 28000.