QA Manager, UK Implementation In quality performance and quality management systems for all of our manufacturing sites� In 2015 this has enabled us to perform benchmarking activities, and identify and share best practices� For example, one of our sites has identified a way to use data from SAP to perform a quality analysis to demonstrate manufacturing consistency across many batches� This methodology has now been adopted at other sites as an example of best practice� We have also developed our KPIs to include specific targets around improving product quality� Although we are already operating to a very high standard, this is helping us to identify those activities that are the biggest threat to our customers and feeds into our PDCA improvement cycle� This forms an essential part of our work to enhance and harmonise the customer experience, as well as improving quality consistency and mitigating risk� Review and revise This year we have made excellent progress in developing our Group Quality Manual, a continuation of 2014’s work to produce a Group Quality Policy� We have also seen a shift in the way we review and revise issues identified as a significant threat to our customers’ experience of working with us� As well as solving these locally, we now have a framework in place to address them from a global perspective� We apply the PDCA cycle on each area before identifying best practices, and then make the necessary change through revising and issuing policies and procedures to allow all of our sites, and our people, to make the improvements� The Future As customer and regulatory expectations develop and move beyond the quality of our products into all other areas of our operations, we will continue to ensure that the necessary requirements are adopted and implemented within everything we do� We expect this to increasingly include our sales and distribution network, as well as our manufacturing sites, so we have introduced a new target to ensure that all of our major sales and distribution centres meet ISO 9001 before the end of 2018� An additional three of our manufacturing sites will also achieve EXCiPACT certification by the end of 2016� Another new target will ensure that we apply our new Group Policy Manual in 2016 to further enhance the way we interface with customers, predominantly through the promotion of a consistent customer experience wherever we are in the world� We will also continue to engage with technical committees and trade associations, with the objective of improving the quality of our products and assuring consumer confidence in the safety and efficacy of the ingredients we make� Sharing our expertise with industry Richard Cawthorne, Research and Technology Specialist, sits on the United States Pharmacopeia’s Excipients Expert Committee, which is concerned with monographs (reviews of fundamental topics or issues) for oils, fats, waxes and surfactants.