Certification at the highest level
Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik manufactures to GMP standard

The highest standards of safety, hygiene and quality are top priorities at all works belonging to the Panther Group. In order to conform to such demanding requirements, the Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik has subjected production to the strict rules which govern the International Good Manufacturing Practice Standard and the associated audit. Adherence to this code of practice was certified for he Wustermark plant in January, 2009. And with this certification, the family-run group of companies documents its pioneering role in the highly-qualified manufacture and processing of corrugated-board products.

The Panther Group’s Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik in Wustermark prepared carefully for the GMP audit. In accordance with FEFCO-GMP guidelines, work plans and measures were drawn up and Germanischer Lloyd then scrutinised their correct execution in January, 2009.

The currently valid certificates document that the Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik factory implements an integrated management system to DINEN ISO 9001, 14001 and HACCP and now also to FEFCO GMP. Company standards adhered to within the Panther Group in terms of important factors such as product security, maintenance, organisation, punctuality, cleanliness and contamination control which even go beyond GMP standards are integrated into the comprehensive GMP project.

Transparency for customers
Solid and corrugated board are indispensable materials for the packaging of virtually all products. Their unique properties guarantee their leading status in the field of transportation packaging and displays. This group of materials is also in wide use as packaging for foodstuffs, as well as for pharmaceutical and cosmetic products – though mostly not in direct contact with the food, beverage and tobacco goods which it protects.

With the ever more stringent market requirements in terms of greatest possible safety and security, the measures to be adopted take on increasingly specific form. In their function as representatives of European solid- and corrugated-board manufacturers, FEFCO and ESBO have recognised that appropriate steps must be taken up front to meet customer requirements for quality, safety and security. Members of FEFCO have therefore been working for years in four main working groups to set up various standards of hygiene in which GMP is taken into consideration and from which a hygiene code and (nationally valid) technical standards and protocols for manufacturers have emerged.
“The manufacture of packaging made from solid and corrugated board must be organised in such a manner that the demands of the market for hygienic production – such as those prevailing in the food industry – are satisfied” – this quotation defines the application area for the GMP standard.

With this certification, the Panther Group documents its claim to quality and also underlines its claim of meeting the increasingly stringent requirements of customers from the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries ahead of legislation.

This certificate documents that the Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik in Wustermark produces to GMP standards.