Quality policy

Springfield operates a business supplies and furniture distribution network throughout the United Kingdom.

The business is primarily involved in the purchase, and distribution of business supplies direct to the consumer via our own distribution logistics operation, and employing third party carriers where it is cost effective and environmentally efficient to do so.

It is the company’s policy to provide products and services that exceed the expectations of all customers in the

supply chain. This is achieved by encouraging an environment of constant improvement throughout the company.

The fundamental elements of our policy are:

• Our customers define quality – we are here to exceed their expectations.
• High quality service is best achieved through continual process improvement
• Delivering consistency of service requires continual improvement and development of all colleagues
• Frequent measurement against key performance indicators is essential to identify trends and quantify

improvements in performance

Quality Planning

Before any significant new products & services are introduced, or existing policies and procedures fundamentally

changed, the company will complete a detailed review to establish the expected benefits and most effective

implementation plan

Quality plans will cover the following:

• The setting of realistic and quantifiable objectives
• The process associated in achieving the objective
• The identification & allocation of resource and responsibility
• The development of appropriate documented procedures
• The agreement of Key Performance Indicators
• The actions carried out in the event of a delayed or non-delivery

Quality Measurement

To track & control performance and highlight trends the Company has developed an extensive range of

measurement tools across all aspects of the business.  The key elements of which are summarised below:

• On a daily basis’ our warehouse team measure the key operational performance of the Springfield warehouse

and its impact on our customers.

Examples of the measures reported include:

• Delivery success rates
• On-time vehicles arrival performance
• Inventory fill rate performance

• On a weekly basis our warehouse team measure key performance indicators across the distribution network against agreed sales, operational and financial criteria
• A Supplier Code of Practise details the performance criteria required from suppliers to ensure consistency of

product availability through the supply chain.

Examples of the performance criteria include:

• Agreed delivery lead times by individual product
• Fulfilment targets by individual product by supplier
• Condition and quality of the goods and their packaging

• A Supplier Assessment Scheme operates in conjunction with the Code of Practice ,to highlight individual

supplier performance. This information is used to drive performance improvements on a supplier by supplier    basis.

Examples of assessment criteria include:

• Actual vs Quoted lead times
• Actual vs Quoted fulfilment results
• Quality & timeliness of delivered goods

Audit Process

Accuracy and quality of product into and within the supply chain is essential to the achievement of consistent

quality. The company has documented an extensive range of audit processes designed to cover all aspects of the

business. These form the backbone of day to day operational routines, and include the following:

• Perpetual inventory of stock to determine the quantity and condition of goods
• Quality inspection of customer orders at the time of picking
• Identification of nonconforming product which will be held pending corrective action
• The segregation and/or disposal of products found to be in an unacceptable resale condition
• The removal of suspect products from stock
• The control of products returned by our customers
• The handling of customer complaints in respect of nonconforming products or services

Corrective Action

Whilst the company operate a “right first time” approach to quality, it also recognises the importance of effective

corrective procedures if quality falls below its high standards. These include:

• The handling of customer complaints to bring about swift remedial action as well as appropriate investigation to

develop a long-term solution

• The reporting and investigation of problems relating to products or services supplied to the Company
• The recording of the results of investigations and actions taken to determine whether corrective action has

been taken and is effective

Preventive Action

In addition to the continuous improvement reviews and effective corrective response procedures ,the company also

incorporates preventive action planning as part of the overall quality policy .Examples of this include:

• Co-ordinated capture of customer feedback ,vehicles such as customer forums provide information from which

preventive action can be taken

• The interpretation of information received via reporting or feedback to formulate actions that will prevent

potential subsequent non-conformance

• The clear delegation of levels of authority and responsibility
• The operation of an extensive and clearly defined Disaster Recovery programme

General

The Company has clearly established and maintained procedures for the handling ,storage, picking, packaging and

delivery of products. These are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that they continue to exceed customer service

expectations.