It came as no surprise when the French tyre manufacturer Michelin requested an audit. Manufacturers from many industries have been focusing intently on certification for quite some time now. This involves – in the broadest possible sense – efficiency, sustainability and the documentation of every imaginable procedure in the company. And that includes quality concerns. Against that complex background, the responsibility for the project was assigned to HF quality manager Dr Dieter Berkemeier, who holds a PhD in process engineering. The aim of the project was to use a sophisticated questionnaire to determine truthful answers to questions concerning, alongside a few general aspects, the four main topics of environment, work practices, fair business relationships and sustainable procurement.
“Basically, as a company, we were not prepared for these kinds of questions”
admits Berkemeier openly.
To that end, Michelin had prepared everything perfectly and contracted out the assessment and support of the operative tasks to the service provider EcoVadis. The list of questions was available on the cloud, and an account for HF had already been set up. After an initial glance, it was clear that HF has already been complying with many of the requirements for several years now. Why? Because those procedures have proven effective. And because they are efficient, or serve to maintain or enhance quality. For the most part, however, this had not been documented. And this was precisely one of the core elements of the audit. There was no point whatsoever in searching for possible records. The situation was both simple and commonplace: information that has not been documented in the past cannot be found. Even the detailed knowledge of experienced, long-time employees revealed no hidden information.
Assuming overall corporate responsibility
Meticulous preparation and thorough procedures were the order of the day. To understand what that really means, it is helpful to glance through the entire shelf of overstuffed ring binders in Berkemeier’s office. They contain background information, standards and regulations, as well as explanations for hundreds of acronyms and abbreviations encountered in connection with the certification request. Working in highly exacting detail, the employees started from the basics to develop the required skills and knowledge. A positive effect is that audits like this one play a significant role in enabling companies like HF to assume overall corporate responsibility. Corporate Social Responsibility is the term used in professional circles. It encompasses trading on the market, ecological aspects, employee relations (workplace) and interaction with relevant stakeholders and interest groups. Transposed to the list of questions compiled by EcoVadis, those thematic elements are categorised under environment, work practices, fair business practices and sustainable procurement. Questionnaires like this one are used primarily by automotive groups and their suppliers to scrutinise service providers and companies comprising the value creation chain, in order to ensure consistent compliance in the four thematic areas. The required depth in terms of content goes well beyond quality assurance. The HF MIXING GROUP had to indicate whether it pursues an active policy relative to the work practices and human rights, for example, and whether it has implemented measures to prevent discrimination, child labour and forced labour.
“Yes, we have. Of course!”
states Berkemeier emphatically. Those measures are documented in, among other places, the Sustainability Report 2014 and in a Code of Conduct, which regulates the areas of ethics and integrity.
In the meantime, many other things have also been established for the record – and are now subject to continuous documentation. This applies in the areas of health management, for example, and the social commitment of HF. The volume of required information surprised even veteran HF employees. And as a result it was soon clear that a crack team was needed to perform this complex task. Six employees took the job on: Larissa Reineck, Sabrina Jahn, Nadina Massuard, Stefan Gross, Dr Harald Keuter and Dieter Berkemeier. Together they brought the project to a successful conclusion.
“According to comparative data from EcoVadis, our results place us in the top ranks among the other suppliers in all categories – and in the environmental area we actually lead the pack”
states project leader Berkemeier.