1DOWNPASS STARSW E S SL I N G G r o u pAudits for the down and feather industry

Since its foundation in 1983, the internationally positioned WESSLING Group, headquartered in Westphalia, Germany, has offered customised analytical and consulting services for a wide range of industries at a
total of 26 locations in Europe and China. Around 1,600 employees provide their expert knowledge, deliver reliable measured values, optimise products and processes and develop holistic solution concepts. For
several years, WESSLING has been supporting producers in the down and feather industry with incoming
goods inspections and auditing in accordance with the DOWNPASS standard.
Downpass talked to Lisa Hesener, Project Manager & Auditor in the Functional Materials department atWESSLING.
WESSLING offers a wide range of consulting services, laboratory analysis and testing proceduresin the areas of quality, safety, health and environmental protection. You have been auditingand testing for the DOWNPASS standard for several years. What makes this task so challenging?
Even though many companies are similar in theirprocesses and structures, each one is unique. This
makes it a challenge for me as an auditor to get togrips with the different systems and work processes of the companies within a very short time, toLisa Hesener, Project Manager & Auditor in theunderstand them and to question them. We reFunctional Materials department at WESSLING
spond to the companies individually and together
we discuss possible potential for improvement in the work processes and documentation.
The down and feather industry works with global
supply chains. A large part of the goods comefrom Asia. As a company, you are decentralised:
To what extent do branches in China, Westernand Eastern Europe help with the auditing tasks?
Our experienced colleagues also regularly audit
companies in China. The multilingual communication on site facilitates the exchange when, for example, European companies want to have Asiansuppliers audited. In our experience, this is an absolute plus.

Photos: © WESSLING or information on the picture–1–

DOWNPASS STARS: WESSLING GROUP

What has the pandemic changed in your daily working routine and how have you ensured on-site inspections in the down and feather supply chain?
Due to the pandemic, on-site audits were made more difficult, especially abroad. If the situation did not allow it otherwise, we conducted them remotely as an alternative. For this purpose, relevant documents ofthe companies were shared with us in advance and discussed during the online audit appointment. This wasfollowed by a digital tour of the production sites, during which the documented information was verified. Of
course, personal on-site audits are still the better choice. We are therefore very pleased that these are increasingly becoming possible again.

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How do you assess the importance ofindependent certification for the success of a company nowadays, and why
do you recommend companies to beaudited according to the zero-tolerance
standard DOWNPASS?
The DOWNPASS is a recognised certification standard that is independently
audited. Both the supply chain and theproduct quality are inspected. This is
why we recommend the DOWNPASS
standard, where independent auditors

inspect the companies and take samples on site. Manufacturers can thus distinguish themselves from otherproducts through their transparency and quality standards, which is increasingly being taken into account byconsumers.
Source: Downpass e.V.

Photos: © WESSLING or information on the picture–2–