Our state of the art food supplement factory is something that we are very proud of. The quality of our machinery, the training of our staff and the precision of our production is among the best that you may expect to see in the UK and Europe.
However, it would be a little disappointing if we didn’t have the quality measures to back up such a large investment in infrastructure and skilled team members. Therefore, it is with pleasure that we tell you a little more about our quality team and their achievements.
Supplement Factory – A Growing Team
Led by Mr Greg Burnard, Pharmaceutical Qualified Person with over 30 years’ experience in the industry and working with pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, medical devices and food supplements, Greg is no stranger to the tireless demands of developing great in-house quality. Greg has personally specified and built the facility that we are proud to call our work home. We were awarded BRC A grade in the first year of operation and AA grade in the subsequent 2 years.
Greg, knew he would need a good team of reliable quality personnel around him, that’s why a significant proportion of Supplement Factory staff work within the technical area of the business. With Greg having a very ambitious quality plan he was extremely pleased to welcome Mikumme Posner to his team in November 2014 as a Technical Officer. Mikumme was no stranger to the quality required at FORZA and soon set to work delivering Greg’s plan. In her first year Mikumme worked on the BRC project as well as helping the company achieve other coveted quality certificates including ISO13485 for medical devices.
In 2016 the holding company of Supplement Factory (Forza Industries Ltd) was awarded with a AA grade BRC status, this was spearheaded by Mikumme who by then was project managing the BRC team. Following this success Greg promoted Mikumme to the role of Quality Manager. This grade was maintained in 2017 and was immediately followed by a successful application and implementation of halal status within the business.
As with any role and fast accelerating company, Mikumme was proud to internally recruit in early 2017 Szabolcs Járfás (Szabi). Initially recruited as a factory technician Szabi worked for 18 months manufacturing capsules and solid dose supplements. He was a natural choice when Mikumme wanted to grow her team. “I was pleased to be chosen as part of the quality team here, the training is intense and rigorous, having worked in the factory as an operator I had first-hand experience of where quality issues may arise; this has made me an asset from a functioning perspective”, Szabi talks about his role.
Supplement Factory is an FDA registered site and works to GMP standards, this means that all of our technical officers are highly trained, because of this when Greg, Mikumme and Szabi wanted to expand their team they were excited to announce the recruitment of experienced quality specialist Karolina Jesiolowska. Karolina has experience in both QA and QC within the chemical and medical device industries.
Sean Penrose has recently joined Supplement Factory in September 2017 and is attached to the acclaimed University of Greenwich. Working as a conduit between the University and Supplement Factory Sean’s goal is to help the two entities seamlessly develop new products and educate each other whilst sharing information. Supplement Factory is a big believer that the supplement industry will maintain its momentum all the time that stunning new products are developed and Sean understands that quality plays a vital role in this dimension.
The journey of our esteemed quality team is no less than magnificent, therefore we asked them a few questions:
Greg, you have 30 years’ experience in the industry as a qualified person dealing with pharmaceuticals, medical devices and food supplements, can you tell me what GMP means to you?
“Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) is a philosophy that is embraced by the whole company ensuring quality is built into the processes and products at all stages from development to despatch and beyond”. He continues “It ensures that product meets all expectations consistently batch after batch and delivery after delivery”.
“It ensures that the risks to the consumer and hence the customer are absolutely minimised.”
“GMP is applied in a similar manner through these various industries. In many respects, the food/supplement GMP required by BRC compliance is more robust and specific to ensure consumer safety”.
So, in terms of advice, what should a brand owner or buyer expect to see from a genuine GMP manufacturer other than a logo on a website”?
“They should see and feel quality from their first contact with the company through to receipt of their product. This would cover professional, knowledgeable conservations with all staff and prompt receipt of clear, concise and correct quotations”.
“Manufacture will take place to meet the agreed delivery date and product will be shipped to the customer with all requested documentation and certification. The product will be visually appealing and of consistent quality with every delivery”.
“This is all achieved through GMP which is evident throughout the operation. Quality doesn’t happen by chance, it happens by building it into every step of the operation as required by the company Quality Management System (QMS)”.
“The Materials will be sourced from approved suppliers meeting agreed, documented specifications”.
“Then Materials are stored in a clean, tidy, well laid out warehouse with materials clearly labelled to prevent cross-contamination or inadvertent use. Materials are picked against authorised manufacturing documentation”.
“Manufacture will take place in a controlled environment with a well thought out process flow where personal hygiene and cleanliness is evident at all stages of the operation”.
“Manufacture will be carried out by trained, dedicated staff who own and take pride in the quality of every product, following clear, well thought out procedures and documentation to ensure a consistent, quality product each and every time”.
“Documented checks are in place at all stages of the operation to ensure risks are minimised. This includes start-up checks, cleanliness checks, in-process control, reconciliation and a fully documented quality assurance audit of the manufacturing documentation. Issues will be fully documented and risk assessed prior to release”.
“Should there be any issues identified by the customer these will be addressed promptly and professionally by the dedicated quality team and processes reviewed to ensure continuous improvement”.
“In summary, the brand owner or buyer should feel confident that their product is being owned, cared for and loved by passionate, trained staff who they can trust to look after their product during its journey through Supplement Factory”.
As a manufacturer of food supplements with an AA grade BRC accreditation how important is BRC to a supplement brand?
“It guarantees that we do things properly, meeting a global quality standard and that we are audited to ensure that we are not just ticking our own boxes”!
“BRC specify exacting standards and requirements covering all aspects of the business from senior management involvement, the prerequisites (GMP: covering everything from pest control to personal hygiene to products traceability), HACCP, Product Control, Process Control and Personnel”.
“The BRC accreditation gives our customers and high street distribution partners the confidence in our production quality and safety taking away that worry and allowing them to focus on growing their brand on strong, stable foundations”.
The direction of Supplement Factory is organised and maintained by passionate individuals who are inspired by improving standards. Pride is taken in growing and educating others to do a better job each day, giving a sense of pride in the products that we all create for our valuable customers.