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Chemical industry logistics is fraught with many challenges, both for customers and for transport companies. Any hazardous chemical cargo belonging to one or another ADR class immediately hangs a danger sign on what would otherwise be standard carriage.
How can you choose a reliable contractor? What criteria should be relied upon when evaluating a transport and logistics company? How can you ensure complete safety not only of the cargo but also of the environment and the health of personnel?
To assess the quality of services from logistics providers and chemical distributors regulated by the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), the Safety & Quality Assessment for Sustainability (SQAS) assessment criteria were developed. SQAS is a third party independent assessment system for transport and logistics companies. The key criteria to be tested regard environmental protection, safety, and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Based on the results, a detailed report is generated containing a percentage grade indicating the level of compliance with the requirements for transportation of chemical products. The German division of international logistics corporate group AsstrA-Associated Traffic AG passed this assessment in April 2019.
Vladislav Alejnikov, Head of the Quality, Environment and Safety Department (QHSE) at AsstrA-Associated Traffic AG, explains the process and the result of certification:
“AsstrA is not a new player on the chemical cargo transportation market. In order to guarantee reliability for clients and ensure their peace of mind regarding chemical product transport, AsstrA’s Italian and Polish divisions had previously obtained SQAS certification. This year the decision was made to strengthen our European market position by obtaining the same certification for AsstrA Deutschland GmbH. The German team achieved a final result of 87%, which is 17% higher than the European average.
What does this result mean for AsstrA clients? They can trust us to put safety first. The certification process is overseen by CEFIC, which represents more than 30,000 EU chemical companies. Only those companies with proven technical equipment, demonstrated accountability, full freight tracking capabilities at every stage of transportation, and the proper process automation tools achieve approval.”
