Hi Simon,
Thank you for the quick reply.
I agree, July is rather close when starting over from scratch. Initially they were trying to keep the prescheduled date which was the end of April. They did not want the audit changed but the third party auditor suggested that we move it out. Scary!
We currently do not have any written FSQM program any longer. When the old company closed, everything went with it. I personally have some generalized documents on an external drive that i can use as a starting point for a few programs. Everthing else needs to be created and put into place all while operations already started. I currently have a list of items on QC hold.
Below are some answers to your questions.
1. Is this a brand new manufacturing operation? This is not a brand new operation. The previous company went bankrupt and the new owners purchased the accounts and equipment as well as leased the same facility. Many of the old employees are now employed with the new company including some management. We also have new employees as well. Along with the bankruptcy went all of the paperwork, files, computers, and old QM documents and programs. We basically have to start all over, blank slate.
2. What is the current FSQMS system level, for example do you have a prerequisite program in place and a HACCP risk assessment? At this point we do not have very much in place at all. I did manage to locate some of our old HACCP info on an external drive I had but it is imcomplete. The actual assessment will need to be performed again.
3. Is the plant fir for purpose for food manufacture? Yes, although it's not ideal and we could benefit from some improvements, it is fit for manufacture.
4. Have you had any previous audits such as AIB or customer etc.? The new owners hired an independent auditor to come in and evaluate our entire facility including staff evaluations as well. It was a three day audit that was closed last Friday. I hope to see a report sometime this week. The report is expected to list overall recommendations. It wasn't necessarily a FSQM audit but rather more of an overall operations and FS audit for the new owners to have an idea of what to expect coming in.
5. Are you saying you’ve already had some sort of BRC Gap analysis audit? Not specifically BRC Gap analysis, just an overall facility and operations audit.
6. What is your own personal level of knowledge and experience of FSQMS? I have had some BRC exposure with the old company as well as general food safety audits (non GFSI). However, we had a very broken system. The previous owner, would often made executive decisions that would go against recommendations from Quality, and would often take the side of production vs. quality leaving many of our programs/procedures/records hanging out to dry. My intention is not to talk down on him as I was an employee and ultimately responsible as well. I just want to give an honest portrait of our old processes and the extent of my work experience. With that said, I can honestly say that i haven't had the proper working experience with the standard. I have however read the standard and in theory have a fairly decent grasp. I also feel that i am capable of writing policies/procedures to comply.
7. Is the owner committed to providing you with the necessary support and resources to deliver the goal. The new owners have repeatedly stated that they are committed to improving quality within the facility. I initially submitted some department needs including staffing and equipment needs along with a synopsis as to the why the company would benefit from these things. However, they will not move forward with anything until the third party auditor has provided the report. This is understandable and at this point, I don't see any signs that they would not provide the necessary support.
Thank you so much for your help. I need to hit the ground running with this and the starting point is a bit fuzzy because everything needs attention.