MMI Logistics, a division of Maritime and Mercantile International (MMI), has become the only logistics company in the Middle East and only the second company in the UAE to be awarded the highly coveted OHSAS 18001 standard for occupational health and safety.

The official OHSAS 18001 certification, accredited and certified by Moody International, was conferred recently on an MMI team spearheaded by the companyÕs general manager, Kerem Camcigil, who was accompanied by Mike Lee, manager, and Varun Sharma, manager of client services, of MMI Logistics.

Wayne Bamford, general manager of international assessing firm Moody International Certification Ltd., who presented the certificate, congratulated the MMI team and applauded the companyÕs efforts towards gaining the praiseworthy accreditation.

ÒIt is not merely another significant feather in MMIÕs cap, but also a matter of pride for UAEÕs industry that they have been successful in being certified for the OHSAS standard. Coming so close on the heels of their other recent certifications, and being among the earliest companies in the region to truly adopt international standards, it ranks high as a commendable corporate achievement,Ó he declared.

Receiving the certificate on behalf of MMI Logistics, Camcigil announced that the company had achieved a hat-trick in recent months, aspiring for and winning as many as three internationally recognised global standards. ÒIt is a matter of immense honour and pride for the company that our teams have been able to win accreditation for the revised ISO 9001: 2000, the ISO 14001 and now, the OHSAS 18001 standard,Ó he stated.

ÒMMIÕs vision lies in harnessing our core competencies of sales, marketing and supply-chain management and encouraging our people to lead the businesses that we are in. MMI has local expertise and market knowledge gained over more than a hundred years of operation in Dubai and the financial resources and the backing of our shareholders to achieve what we have set out to do. With these foundation stones in place, and with the holistic management process offered by international standards, the company is ideally positioned for growth and expansion in the immediate and long-term future.Ó said Camcigil.

Describing the OHSAS 18001 certifying process, Lee explained: ÒThe certifying process is not an overnight task, it involves steadfast dedication. A thorough risk assessment was conducted to identify our targets and objectives, and management programmes were put in place to monitor and measure the effectiveness of continual improvement.Ó

Lee also elaborated on the benefits of the official health and safety accreditation:

ÒThe OHSAS certification is designed to highlight the safety systems and methods that have been implemented within MMI Logistics in all areas of activity that influence product and client service quality. The requirements for the standard include environmentally friendly and clean housekeeping, constantly updated maintenance checks, internationally approved fire-fighting equipment, battery area and goods-stacking area, and suitable and sufficient fire protection. Both our clients as well as our employees will benefit vastly from the safety and security that stems from being OHSAS-certified,Ó he explained.

The British Standard Institute OHSAS 18001 standard for occupational health and safety integrates with the Environmental Management System (EMS) and various quality systems to form a comprehensive management process. OHSAS 18001:1999 has been written to be applicable to all types and sizes of organisations and its overall aim is to enable a company to control its risks and improve its performance.

MMI Logistics is one of the largest and most sophisticated supply chain management companies in the region, providing solutions to a range of global companies that include Epson, Ricoh, Philips, Fritz and Toys R Us. Located in Jebel Ali, MMI Logistics has an extensive, well-established network across the Middle East and a highly customer-focussed team. MMI LogisticsÕ services include transportation; warehouse and fleet management; inventory replenishment and order processing, and marketing support functions such as bar-coding, re-packaging, merchandising and bi-lingual re-programming.

MMI Logistics was recently chosen by Dubai MunicipalityÕs health department as a partner to launch its online services.

The Dubai Municipality health certificates online service, launched on March 11, aims to offer organisations the convenience of applying for various health documents, address enquiries and receive results of various industrial tests from the confines of their respective offices. The online certificates include food, veterinary and clinic certificates and are available for the same cost as the existing physical versions.

MMI Logistics has been one of the government departmentÕs largest clients since its inception, handling certifications every day. The company has also been involved in developing the system alongside the Dubai Municipality team.

The online health services allow MMI Logistics to service their large food-industry clients like Costa coffee, Unilever, Ferrero Rocher, United Biscuits and Ralston Purina, with greater ease and efficiency.