A laboratory for analysis and study, inspection organisation and certification organisation – these are the three activities of Quality Partner.
This spin-off from the University of Liège, Belgium, an actor in the field of food industry quality control, is experiencing strong growth at the national level and intends to rapidly develop internationally.
Founded in 2000, at the initiative of Professor Georges Daube, manager of the Food Microbiology Service at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Liège, and thanks to private and public investments, Quality Partner has concentrated on microbiological analyses and research through its laboratory from the start.
Very quickly, it offered its clients the possibility of objectively verifying the consumption date limits placed on their products, with accreditation (ISO 17025 for analysis and R&D) as well as carrying out ‘challenge tests’ which involve the infection of a product with pathogenic germs, following its development over the course of time and thus evaluating the level of control during accidental contaminations.
In 2002, the spin-off received accreditation for its inspection arm (ISO 17020) which carried out audits and inspections on the basis of public or private requirements, prior to the accreditation for product certification (EN 45011) one year later and at the system level in 2009 (ISO 22 000). The latter allowed visible, official recognition of the quality of the certified products to be obtained. Four complementary activities, approved by AFSCA/FAVV (Federal Agency for Food Safety), which have continued to develop.
1,400 clients, 4,650 sites checked annually
Since 2003, in order to give a more international and professional vision to the management, Quality Partner has welcomed Synapsis Associates in his midst, which became the majority shareholder. Faithful to his ‘hands-on’ policy, Michel Engels is currently President of the Board of Directors. From 3 people in 2001, the company today employs more than 45 (executives and technical staff).
Since its foundation, boosted by a double-digit annual growth of its turnover, it has more than 1,400 clients active in the heart of the food industry at the primary production level (principally for poultry and pork production), in processing (abattoirs, cutting, delicatessens), and food distribution (supermarkets, convenience stores, hotel/restaurant/catering).
If the sites audited in the course of the last twelve months within the context of inspection or certification are considered, they would amount to more than 2,500, and more than 4,600 audits have been carried out. For its part, the ‘Laboratories’ department carries out around 175,000 analyses per year. These are Belgian figures, but also apply to the French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Luxembourg and Polish markets. The market perspectives, sustained by increased recognition in the industry, allow very strong growth to be anticipated in 2010, particularly as a result of inspection and certification activities.
Internationalisation
This desire to internationalise, initially limited to European countries before attacking the world market with the consuming countries, is the main axis in Quality Partner’s strategy. If the first three years were dedicated to developing its activities, before undertaking investments especially in the inspection division, since 2004, consolidation got key emphasis in order to achieve balanced systems and consider financing for the expansion into European and international markets. Currently Quality Partner is at the stage of identifying markets through meetings with future partners. Consequently, it must decide whether to grow by acquisition, foundation, through commercial partnerships or, most probably, a combination of these possibilities.
Today, thanks to its service and efficiency, the abilities of its team and the know-how it derives from relations with the academic world, Quality Partner, which is one of the top 3 laboratories specialising in food microbiology, also wants to be a partner of AFSCA/FAVV and the industry, particularly in the context of validating self-inspection mechanisms. It as such has large ambitions for growth.
