Biochem sets quality standards
Day-to-day certification compliance ensures quality at the highest level – Production safety of feed additives – Continuous development and optimization guarantees reliability and sustainability
Lohne, Germany. – A glance at the production facility located at company headquarters in the town of Lohne quickly confirms that the slogan "Feed Safety for Food Safety®" is taken seriously at Biochem. Cleaning machines criss-cross through the factory halls twice a day, high-speed doors open and close automatically, underfloor heating prevents dust turbulence. These measures help avoid cross-contamination. The air conditioning system ensures constant temperature and humidity under all environmental conditions. Biochem goes beyond the legal requirements and sets standards for delivered goods by specifying cleaning certificates for silo trucks. Risk-based receiving inspections of supplied raw materials are part of the company's standard operating procedure. Before raw materials reach the warehouse or silo, they are subjected to in-house and/or third-party analyses. Of course, the quality of all goods is checked before they leave the production site. According to Alexander Wellinghof, Head of Quality Management at Biochem: "These examples demonstrate the extremely high demands we place on quality across the entire process, from the raw materials to the delivery of finished products."
Internationally recognized certification: GMP+
Biochem sets the standards for modern, healthy, and safe animal nutrition. "Quality management at this level only works if all employees are well-qualified and familiar with our standards," Wellinghof explains. These quality benchmarks are based on DIN EN ISO9001: 2008 and GMP+ certifications. GMP+ stands for Good Manufacturing Practice with the plus symbolizing the integration of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points). GMP+ is an internationally valid certification system for the animal feed industry. It specifies requirements for animal feed production facilities and includes storage, transport, personnel, procedures, and documentation. "This certification and the daily implementation of its requirements in our production facilities enables us to guarantee the reliability, quality, and safety of our products for the animal feed chain," says Wellinghof.
Sustainability through energy management
Along with safety and quality, sustainability and ecology are essential elements of the Biochem corporate philosophy. Biochem products enhance the utilization of nutrients by animals, reduce the burden on soil, air, and water, and contribute to the responsible use of natural resources. By implementing a certified energy management system (DIN ISO 50001), special emphasis is also placed on conserving resources at company headquarters. "We tap into available energy efficiency potential, lower energy costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," explains Matthias Enneking, in charge of energy management at Biochem. A variety of projects are currently being implemented to achieve specific energy-saving goals. These include changing over lighting systems to LEDs, acquisition of new measuring technology, and the modernization of production facilities. Thus, Biochem is also setting feed industry quality standards when it comes to energy efficiency and sustainability.
