In this Stronger Together episode of What’s Cooking with the CBA, we highlight SGS Testing Labs. Host Fran Groesbeck is joined by Melanie Schubert, Senior Technical Manager, Piyush Shah, Lab Manager, and Scott Nesson, Director of Sales and Business Development, for a conversation that celebrates SGS Testing Labs’ membership, contributions to the industry and community, and dedication to creating safe consumer products.
SGS has a long and rich history, dating back to 1878 when it started as an inspection house for grain on docks in rural France. The company’s original goal was to protect buyers and sellers as they shipped goods globally, which required a “trust but verify” approach. In 1919, SGS adopted its full name, Society General de Surveillance, though it is now known globally as simply SGS. Today, inspections remain one of the company’s core businesses, along with multiple other sectors. Specifically, SGS started in food contact and physical mechanical testing as it relates to CBA members.
SGS has 2,400 offices and labs worldwide, providing 140 years of innovative support to its clients. While they offer comprehensive services for various industries, they have 30 labs globally that specialize in food contact testing. It is possible that CBA members may not require their food contact testing services, as they may be involved in producing products other than cookware or food. They are dedicated to providing services for all industries. Their 30 food contact labs are located across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, allowing them to reach and assist clients worldwide.
SGS offers a range of inspections, including pre-production, production, final random, and loading inspections. Their approach is based on “trust but verify.” While not everyone requires every type of inspection, the most common are final random and loading inspections. However, clients who need pre-production or production inspections, are happy to offer those services as well. These are particularly useful in cases where there is a new production line or an issue is found during the final random inspection and a further investigation into the production cycle is needed.
When discussing inspections and audit services, the first thing that comes to mind is the need for them in today’s market. Many manufacturers are either seeking new manufacturing options or moving to new markets for manufacturing. Consequently, SGS offers various services such as factory audits, pre-audits, quality management service audits, and factory assessments, which can be tailored to its client’s comfort level with the manufacturer they’re doing business with.
For instance, if a client has always done business in China and is now expanding into India, they would want to ensure that the new factory can produce what they require. SGS offers inspections in addition to factory assessments, audits, and quality management service audits to help with this.
SGS takes great pride in its contributions to the community. They provide opportunities for its employees around the world to volunteer their time in local communities. Many of its employees have worked in food banks, participated in community clean-up efforts, and volunteered in other capacities. In addition to their community work, they also assist the CBA community in improving their products and performance through their two performance labs. To this end, they have even set up two robots that clients can engage for fit-for-life type testing.
Connect with SGS Testing Labs:
- Website: https://www.sgsgroup.us.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SGS/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sgsglobal/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sgs/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SGS_SA
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/sgseditor