Certification for cold logistics: Cool Chain Quality Indicators

Cool Chain Quality Indicators (CCQI) is the name of the recently developed international standard for certification of the reliability, quality and proficiency of companies active in the cold logistics industry. This standard is aimed at businesses offering services such as transport, storage and handling of perishable and temperature-sensitive products. The standard makes it possible to undertake a qualitative assessment of technical installations, processes and staff qualifications and also makes it possible to compare different competitors and gives a base for improvements. To permit such comparisons, the CCQI Standard splits the cool chain up into defined operations, such as "Truck- and Trailer Transport" or "Short-Term Storage and Distribution". Application of the cool chain indicators to the individual sections accounts for diverse aspects such as training of the staff, the refrigerating equipment, the handling and the maintenance of the transportation units. In this way, the indicators can be used to quantify, measure and enhance the quality. The CCQI standard is the joint property of Cool Chain Association (CCA) and Germanischer Lloyd AG. The certification body for this standard is Germanischer Lloyd Certification GmbH. The standard can be downloaded from: http://www.gl-group.com.