Locally based company provides quality assurance stamp

Cargo inspections are vital in order to provide the client with the assurance that the materials or commodities received are of the quality ordered.
This is the word from Joanne Barton of Inspectorate M&L, a company specialising in this field. Many clients are based abroad, she says, and need a locally based company to give them the assurance of the quality of material sourced. Commodi-ties may vary from fertilisers to minerals, coal to feeds.
One of the interesting developments facing South Africa is the importation of pharmaceutical products from countries producing lower cost generic medicines. This requires a certain level of expertise, says Barton, and it is companies such as Inspectorate M&L that have many years experience in the pharmaceutical industry that have acquired an in-depth knowledge of the tests required to ensure public safety.
What we in fact do is reduce the financial and safety risks to which our clients and the general public are exposed. Technical competence is of paramount importance in this field as well as coal, precious metals and various other industries which have grown to trust inspectorate M&L over the past 60 years.
Not only do our inspectors check for quality and quantity, but also witness the sealing of cargo as well as actively sampling all materials from bulk shipments to containerised goods.
Where necessary, samples are sent to the laboratory in Johannesburg for analysis.
Essential to the client is the clear understanding of the inspection process. The end result depends on the procedures employed during the inspection and sampling. Sampling must be representative and is carried out at various stages of loading or discharging and is performed according to type of commodity.
Inspectorate M&L operates branches in Richards Bay, Durban, Middelburg and Maputo with agents in other major ports and head office and laboratories situated in Johannesburg.