APLICA – a founding member of the European Federation of Tank Cleaning Organisations – has had a busy 12 months.
The France-based organisation now boasts a total of 81 members, operating 81 cleaning stations, across the country.
APLICA is made up of firms whose primary activity is the internal cleaning of road tankers – an essential part of the logistics supply chain.
Over the past 12 months a total of 560,000 ECD (EFTCO Cleaning Documents) were issued. This was up from the 512,000 ECDs that were issued over the course of the previous year.
A mark of quality
An APLICA spokesperson said: “APLICA has firmly established itself as a mark of quality in the industry.
“The association remains committed to ensuring that all members comply with its statutes and internal regulations. To uphold these standards, internal audits are conducted every three years by an independent external auditor.
“As the sole auditor covering the entire national territory, they ensure complete objectivity throughout the process.
“In the past, three members were excluded from APLICA after failing to comply with the association’s statutes and internal regulations, despite receiving formal notices.”
APLICA, in collaboration with DELSSI, a French company based in Lille, has developed the APLICA Cleaning Software to enhance efficiency and compliance in tank cleaning operations.
While the project has experienced slight delays, the software is set to be rolled out in early 2025.
At the request of food loading companies, APLICA is developing a specialised training programme for quality auditors in the food industry sector.
This programme aims to equip auditors with the necessary expertise to conduct thorough and effective audits of cleaning stations. APLICA is actively working on this initiative, with the rollout planned for this spring.
APLICA continues to fight against rogue cleaning stations and the association is in constant contact with the French Ministry for the Environment.
The aim of this is to ensure that the association’s rules are adhered to, taking into consideration internal regulations and their annexes, as well as EFTCO’s rules for washing stations using the eECD.
APLICA’s members are required to comply with French regulations concerning discharges (in the municipality or in the natural environment). There are two main ways to monitor compliance with wastewater treatment regulations. Firstly when applying for membership and, secondly, companies must send in documentation on water usage to APLICA as well as through an internal audit.
For more information: Visit aplica-esso.ft
New developments within the French tank cleaning industry
