Continually meeting customer expectations is firmly at the top of the agenda for UM Terminals’ dedicated team.

An integral part of achieving this goal involves ensuring the business is meeting the labyrinth of quality standards and industry accreditations.

During recent weeks, UM Terminals has undergone an intensive programme of external audits – something that would usually be spread across a year but could not happen due to various unforeseen circumstances. It was also the first time in over two years that on-site audits had been possible due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Responsibility for preparing for the audits lies with Jo Winning, UM Terminals’ Quality, Performance & Development Manager, along with Karl Pass, who was recently promoted to the role of National Operations Manager.

Jo and Karl are further supported by the various terminal managers across the company’s eight sites and other key members of the team.

Audits carried out include the Universal Feed Assurance Scheme [UFAS], FSSC 22000, the certification scheme for Food Safety Management Systems, for its Regent Road and Gladstone Dock sites, and the Halal certification for Regent Road.

The company’s ISO9001:2015 quality management accreditation was also audited.

Jo said: “We received excellent feedback from the auditors regarding our planning and performance, including the high quality of our operations and Client Central Services teams.

“As a business, we pride ourselves on our capability to manage change. One recent example of this was how quickly we flexed to meet the new requirements of a Scandinavian customer which took a much larger tank that has been specially converted to store an AdBlue product.

“From day one of this project, everything went according to plan thanks to our forward planning, engineering expertise and attention to detail.

“As a business, we are only as good as our people and during recent months we have developed new terminal managers to ensure we have the right people in the right places. Karl’s promotion to National Operations Manager has also been an important step forward.

“We were particularly pleased with the FSSC 22000 and Halal audits as these accreditations have only been in place since last year.”

Further audits, including the Fertiliser Industry Assurance Scheme [FIAS], will take place before the end of the year.

UM Terminals and other companies owned by UM’s holding company W&R Barnett will also be scrutinised for their sustainability credentials via the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme [ESOS] which assesses energy usage, including boiler efficiency.

Jo added: “The audits are important for our customers, staff and other stakeholders. We want our customers to know we are committed to excellence in everything we do, and our success is a real morale booster for our teams.

“We welcome the new audits around sustainability. We are committed to an ongoing programme of investment in our assets and this includes enhancing our energy efficiency which is good for us and our customers.

“We also never rest on our laurels. We have already embarked on a calendar of internal audits and continue to invest in the training of our people, ensuring the training is appropriate to each of our facilities.”

Vic Brodrick, UM Terminals’ Interim Managing Director and Commercial Director said: “We are committed to a continuous programme of investment to guarantee that UM Terminals is best placed to meet the needs of our customers today and tomorrow.

“Thanks to the sterling work of Jo Winning, Karl Pass, our terminal managers and other members of the team, the business has come through a series of highly intensive audits with flying colours.”

UM Terminals operates out of 8 terminals, strategically located across the UK, handling over 40 different products.

It currently has a capacity of over 300,000 cubic metres of bulk liquid storage, but the plan is to grow this to over 400,000 cubic metres.

Product solutions include vegetable oils, industrial, food and feed, chemical, fertiliser, fuels, biofuels and base oils.

The company rebranded from UM Storage to UM Terminals in 2020 to better reflect the broad range of services the company offers its clients. It is part of the UM Group which has a distinguished history stretching back almost 100 years.

You can read the article in full in the Winter edition of the TSA’s Insight magazine - https://tankstorage.org.uk/assets/Insight-Magazine/Insight-Winter-2022.pdf