NIBULON as one of the leading players in the domestic and international agricultural commodity markets enjoys the confidence of other participants. The company always guarantees high quality standards of agricultural commodities to be exported. For this purpose, NIBULON created all the required conditions to obtain reliable results of quality and product safety at its branches and main marine export terminal in Mykolayiv city.
Every year NIBULON proves a high professionalism of its own laboratories, obtaining certificates according to the international and European requirements and being inspected regularly. The company certifies its own laboratories, ensuring constant professional improvement of its specialists, etc.
1. Thus, in 2014 Mykolayiv terminal obtained the following international certificates.
In July the company developed and implemented procedures for compliance of food safety management system with the requirements of the standardISO 22000:2005 “Food safety management systems. Requirements for any organization in the food chain”. This achievement demonstrated high quality of agricultural products and excellent organization of logistic operations at our company. By the way, HACCP (food safety management system), acknowledged worldwide and in the European Union as the most efficient method to ensure food safety, is based on the given standard.
In July 2014, the company underwent periodic certification for compliance with the new requirements of the European Union: International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) RED Bioenergy Sustainability Assurance (RBSA) that are obligatory to meet the requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC.
The given certification requirements provides for the solution of environment protection problems and includes the control over field cultivation, the protection of woodland and other biotopes, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and also social responsibility of producers.
These international certificates testified that NIBULON completely corresponds to the European and international requirements as to cultivation, transportation, storage and export of grain and oil crops.
2. Last year NIBULON’s specialists certified the production and technological laboratories at its seven branches, obtaining the Certificate of Accreditation in a state-approved format.
The company also prepared and successfully conducted planned inspections of metrological supervision at all NIBULON’s production and technological laboratories. The obtained certificates proved that the laboratories meet the requirements to perform measurements in the field of the state metrological supervision.
3. Traditionally, in 2014 NIBULON continued professional training of its specialists at the production and technological laboratories. In particular, in March the company organized a seminar for NIBULON’s specialists of production and technological laboratories with the participation of Baltic Control surveying company and specialists in grain quality from importing countries. The theme of the seminar was to measure grain quality of the new harvest: methods, sampling, laboratory control, arbitration and general current issues of the laboratory. On completing the seminar, the participants underwent testing and obtained certificates.
From March to April, the company inspected whether its laboratory employees were ready for the 2014 harvest. The specialists were trained how to measure grain quality of the new harvest at the branches.
In addition, last year the laboratory specialists underwent refresher courses at the specialized educational institutions, such as the SE “State Certification Authority and Expertise of Agricultural Products” (Kyiv), the Educational Centre of Petro Vasylenko National Technical University of Agriculture (Kharkiv) and Odesa National Academy of Food Technologies. All the participants obtained the appropriate certificates.
From August to November, NIBULON’s production and technological laboratories participated in the interlaboratory comparison of measurement results “Physical and chemical indices of grain quality” according to the State Instruction on Inspection of Accuracy of Measurement Results in the Measurement Laboratories.
4. NIBULON’s product quality control department regularly performs research work on the base of the production and technological laboratory at Mykolayiv terminal. Thus, in 2014 they measured 6-grade wheat quality with different content of protein and germinating seed, and also wheat damaged by a corn-bug in different regions of Ukraine (in Mykolayiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Poltava and other regions).
The specialists of the department formed the control grain samples which odour differed from the odour of normal grain. They also formed grain samples damaged by fungus disease and treated with chemicals. The control samples were provided to NIBULON’s production and technological laboratories and are used during training.
5. The specialists of NIBULON’s production and technological laboratories held production meetings before harvesting and on completing harvesting. The following issues are discussed at production meetings: working results during the past year, quality analysis when taking, storing and shipping grain in 2014, current issues to measure quality of early grain crops and placing of late grain crops.
6. Every year NIBULON equips its production and technological laboratories taken into account the latest technical achievements. In 2014, before a new yield was received, the laboratories were equipped with the basic and auxiliary laboratory equipment and also with test systems to measure GMO.
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NIBULON carries out regular work to ensure high quality of the Ukrainian agricultural commodities and excellent organization of logistic operations. NIBULON’s key priority is to meet international quality requirements and to ensure product safety. The acknowledgment of NIBULON’s professionalism in the international markets is international recognition of the whole of Ukraine!