Day 079 - 27 Jan 95 - Page 25
1 A. If someone produces a product of meat, boneless meat,
2 which is unsatisfactory and then they are told that it is
3 unsatisfactory and they do it again, they are delisted as a
4 supplier.
5
6 Q. So can they pick or choose which specifications they want
7 to comply with? As long as they feel that you might agree
8 the meat is satisfactory, therefore, they might be able to
9 drop five or six of the specifications?
10 A. No, not at all.
11
12 Q. That is a condition?
13 A. That is just part of the specifications.
14
15 Q. So they have to comply with each specification?
16 A. Each part of that specification. If the bacteriology
17 is correct, you cannot then remove a cut of beef from the
18 particular boneless beef. You have to comply with the
19 whole specification.
20
21 Q. So how do you check that suppliers are complying with
22 specifications when you visit or people from McKey's visit?
23 Do they have this kind of thing in their hand and they go
24 through one by one just to check?
25 A. My inspectors do not need to have it in their hand,
26 they know it line by line, and most of that checking is
27 also rechecked when the meat is delivered. For example, we
28 jig-saw meat. Let me explain that to you: Periodically,
29 we will take a combo of meat and tip it out on the
30 stainless steel table and move it around to ensure that all
31 the cuts that should be in a forequarter are there and the
32 supplier has not taken any away.
33
34 Q. Who at each plant is responsible for making the checks that
35 the specifications are carried out or adhered to?
36 A. At my plants?
37
38 Q. No, at the suppliers.
39 A. They have Quality Control Managers and someone
40 responsible for quality.
41
42 Q. So, if somebody finds out that one of these, someone from
43 McKey's finds out that a specification is not adhered to,
44 they would put that in writing, would they, or they would
45 just mention it as a chit-chat to whoever the quality
46 control person was at the supply plant?
47 A. The actual supply plant would probably get a letter
48 from the buying department of McKey's.
49
50 Q. To say: "You must adhere to this". Would that be
51 straightaway you found out a specification was -----
52 A. Yes, it would also be -----
53
54 Q. Then that would be checked up on to see if they had
55 actually improved upon the situation?
56 A. Yes.
57
58 Q. What, a week later or something?
59 A. No, the next load, the next delivery.
60
