The Quality Label: Efficiency Network

To achieve an increasing high level of efficiency and quality of service, the Port of Barcelona and its Port Community roll out actions and objectives to improve their competitiveness towards their customers. One of the tools used to this end is the Port of Barcelona Efficiency Network Quality Label, a certification obtained by three new companies in 2016. At present 73 companies enjoy this distinction, 12 of which were awarded the label for the fifth year in a row.

CERTIFIED COMPANIES BY ACTIVITY

All of these companies and the cooperating administrations were subject to the corresponding audits (an average of two per company per year), to assess whether they meet its quality standards. A total of 233 reports were submitted, which meant analysing more than 700,000 data items, with an average compliance level of 92%. The results provided the entire Port Community with information to identify areas for improvement, which are then discussed in working groups comprising all members of the logistics chain.

In general the efficiency of processes guaranteed under the Label remained stable this year, especially those of certified logistics chains, as did the trend observed since the label was launched, thus the efficiency of these chains is around 12 points above average for the Port.

COMPLIANCE WITH COMMITMENTS

The Quality Label actively promotes and disseminates its own quality commitments and those of the companies and governments that work with it. In this connection, the Port's quality label was present at nine international fairs and in the trade mission to Panama and Cuba, as well as the 22 Port training courses aimed at customers.

PROMOTION AND DISSEMINATION ACTIONS

This year a simple and informative promotional video of the label was also released in English, Catalan and Spanish, showing the whole process of goods through the Port and the commitments that can benefit customers working with a certified company. The video can be seen on the Port's website and helps to get the message across to importers and exporters interested in learning about Efficiency Network companies.

REVIEW OF COMMITMENTS

Various activities were carried out during 2016 to strengthen and improve the contents to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the Efficiency Network label.

These included the first edition of the Excellence Awards, in four categories: people, a key factor for the consolidation of the Quality Label; guidance for common objectives: cooperation between Efficiency Network companies; the Label as a tool to support continuous improvement of the company, and transferring the commitments to the end customer.

The Port of Barcelona also awarded a special prize to the first sixteen certified organisations for their commitment to the Quality Label, since the label would not have developed without their involvement.

Moreover, this year saw the start of a process to review and improve the commitments of the label in cooperation with the certified companies. This involved technical workshops involving about 90 professionals from companies and public administrations from the Port, divided into 8 working groups, in which the levels of quality and efficiency achieved so far were analysed and improvements were proposed.