More than four ISO certifications and annual internal audits across all companies. Tempcon’s
management system is designed to ensure that quality, environmental performance, food safety and road
traffic safety are never left to chance. For customers, this means order and structure that are not merely
promised – but can be verified and proven.
For Tobias Lundberg, working with quality and certifications has been part of much of Tempcon’s
journey.
Today, he is a Business Developer and is responsible for Tempcon Group’s management system. His
background includes several roles within the ICA Group, most recently as Transport Manager for fruit and
vegetables. He later became a co-owner in the Tempcon Group and has had ICA as one of his
customers for many years. It was a customer relationship that placed high demands on quality, control
and certification from an early stage.
When Tempcon Group was formed, it was therefore natural for Tobias to take an active role in
developing this work further at Group level. Since then, both Tempcon and its management system have
grown.
“When we started the Group, people simply took responsibility for the areas they knew best. We were
already well advanced in these matters at an early stage, so it was natural for us to continue driving them
forward,” says Tobias.
The interest is genuine.
“There’s a bit of a nerd in me, so I’m one of those people who actually finds this kind of thing interesting.
What drives me is continuous improvement. There is always something new to build on, always
something that can be made a little better.”
Four standards – one integrated system
Today, Tempcon Group is certified according to four ISO standards: ISO 9001 for quality, ISO 14001 for
environmental management, ISO 22000 for food safety and ISO 39001 for road traffic safety.
The Group also works with ISO 26000 for social responsibility and parts of ISO 27001 for information
security. In addition, parts of the Group hold certifications including BRCGS, KRAV and Fair Transport.
But the number of certificates is not really the most important thing. What matters is the work behind
them.
“The certifications show that we have control over our operations and meet the requirements placed on
us. Without our management systems and the level at which we maintain them, we would not be able to
work with the major customers we have today.”
For a Group with many companies and sites, the management system creates a common structure for
how operations are managed, monitored and developed. And the work does not stop with the standards
for which Tempcon is certified. The Group works across additional areas and standards in order to meet
its responsibilities and the requirements of customers, employees, owners and society at large.
We carry out checks more frequently than required
An ISO certification is not something you obtain once and can then simply rely on. Tempcon undergoes
external audits every year, during which different parts of the organisation are reviewed. With 22 sites,
not every facility can be included in an external audit every year. The external audits are therefore
distributed across the certifications’ three-year cycle, with the relevant sites reviewed over time.
Tempcon has chosen to complement the external audits with a higher frequency of internal controls.
Every year, all companies conduct internal audits covering all standards.
“Tempcon is a large Group and a lot is happening. That is why we want to review every site every year,
including those that are not subject to an external audit that year.”
The results are collected and reviewed at Group level. Together with management reviews, site visits and
ongoing control activities, this enables Tempcon to identify non-conformities and areas that need
improvement.
Throughout all the years the organisation has been certified, external audits have not resulted in any
major non-conformities.
“Minor non-conformities will always exist. And they should. The whole idea behind a management system
is continuous improvement. There is always something that can be done a little better and a bar that can
be raised a little higher.”
From ISO standards to fire extinguishers and refrigeration temperatures
Management systems may sound administrative, but in practice they are embedded in everyday
operations. Tempcon’s own control administration has been moved into the Group’s digital tools and is
used for everything from safety inspections and cleaning checks to emergency drills.
Are the designated assembly points functioning properly? Has the fire extinguisher been inspected? Is
the defibrillator working? Is there any damage to pallet racking or impact protection? Is the terminal clean
and well maintained?
In an operation where food is handled, details are not trivial. They are part of safety.
The same principle follows the goods. All terminals work with HACCP-based risk management and self-
monitoring programmes to ensure that goods and temperatures are checked.
During receipt and loading, this may involve checking temperatures, documenting damaged goods and
monitoring temperatures in trucks. The information is recorded so that deviations can be identified and
managed.
“We can see whether the goods arrived at the correct temperature or whether there is something the
customer needs to be informed about. If we identify a deviation, we communicate it to the customer, who
can then decide how the goods should be handled.”
This is where the management system moves from documentation to actual risk management.
The system is part of everyday operations
For Tobias, a well-functioning management system is not something that is brought out ahead of the next
audit. Quite the opposite.
This is an important point in a Group that has grown rapidly and consists of many different operations
and sites. Shared procedures, controls and follow-up create a structure that makes it possible to preserve
local drive while at the same time ensuring that fundamental requirements are met throughout the
organisation.
For the customer, this means something very concrete: less needs to be left to assumption.
“Through our certifications, all the audits we have undergone and our own control work, the customer can
know that there is a functioning system behind the delivery. If it did not work, the certificates would not be
hanging on the wall.”
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