How We Do Business

A guide to our Quality, Ethics, Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility

Quality

Our Commitment to Quality

At Fisher Scientic we are committed to meeting the requirements of our customers. Underpinning our entire operation from product sourcing and supplier selection, stock control and warehouse logistics, to order processing and customer service is a commitment to total quality management. Our company culture creates an environment in which every employee has the opportunity to identify and implement improvements. We have retained certication to ISO 9001:2008, the specication for a quality management system. We now have over 15 years history of being a 3rd party audited organisation. Regularly audited by our ANAB accredited certication body SAI Global, customers can rest assured that our standards never slip.

Our quality process is based on our ve principles...

1 2 3

To improve Customer satisfaction from rst point of contact through to delivery of product Customers are at the centre of everything we do at Fisher Scientic; listening to their feedback, measuring ourselves against their expectations and taking action to improve how we serve them in all our customer touch points. We have a world-class customer feedback programme with metrics for measuring customer loyalty across the entire company. We use the information gained in conjunction with our key performance indicators to understand customers preferences and frustrations and adjust our processes and capabilities to better meet their needs.

To select only quality products from quality suppliers As a distribution business, successful management of the supply chain is critical to ensuring rst class delivery performance and customer service. Only those suppliers that are able to support the achievement of both these objectives are selected. Once selected, ongoing performance metrics determine the suppliers continued suitability to be part of the Fisher Scientic portfolio. The partnership with our suppliers ensures that we are able to offer products and services that are constantly evolving.

Meeting Regulatory Requirements We have management system processes and a dedicated European Regulatory Affairs Team tasked with keeping abreast of all current legislation. We ensure that we comply with all current laws and regulations and that we fulll all our legal obligation in our procedures here at Fisher Scientic.

To improve our processes in a continuous and proactive way, with our eye always on the customer, ensuring that our interaction with our customers is the best it can be Being nancially robust enables us to continually invest in our future. An example of this is our recent 6 million investment in our warehouse to improve facilities, layout and organisation. Additionally our global reach and our continuing acquisition programme matches the growing marketplace created by our customers outsourcing business to the developing economies. Continued improvement and innovation is key to our future growth and we use a practical process improvement (PPI) programme to drive this within our business. Our PPI programme uses a proven hands-on methodology, bringing teams of employees from different areas of the business together to learn the PPI tools and apply them to a real business problem. Continuously improving our processes enables us to increase our productivity and to deliver quality products and services to customers at competitive prices. Recent projects have included: Reducing overdue purchase order lines from 8% to a target of 5%, this is now running at 4.9%. Reduce the cycle time for non-catalogue products to 2 days, this is now running at less than 1 day. More energy efficient lighting in our warehouse and ensuring lights are turned off at work finish times reduced energy consumption by 10%. These are just a small number of the PPI projects we have undertaken that have achieved benets for our organisation and customers.

Continued improvement and innovation is key to our future growth

To respect our employees and invest in their training and development We recognise that our most important assets are our employees and investing in their training and development is paramount. The Employer of Choice programme has been designed to optimise working conditions and ongoing access to further training. We also have stringent health and safety policies in place to safeguard the health and well being of all staff. Employees training needs are regularly assessed against the requirements of their jobs. Their knowledge and skills are continuously improved with the appropriate training. By working, learning and developing together we can really achieve excellence and quality in every aspect of our business.

Environment

Our Commitment to the Environment

At Fisher Scientic we understand the importance of protecting the environment for future generations. Our commitment to the environment is supported by initiatives to reduce energy usage, reduce waste, to use products that are safe for the environment and to adhere to all legal and regulatory requirements. We have attained certication to ISO 14001:2004, the specication for an environmental management system. This system ensures that we maintain compliance with regulatory requirements and sets objectives, targets and key performance indicators for improvements. We are actively building on our environmental initiatives and will continue to work towards sharing best practice across the supply chain. Here are some of the ways we are working to protect the environment...

Waste Management
Recycle 85+ % of our general waste Recycle 22 tonnes of glass every month Collect 40,000 empty bottles from customers every month for recycling Send 13 tonnes of cardboard per month to mill for re-pulping Recycle 1 tonne of plastic bags and lm every month Recycle plastic bottles 1 tonne of HDPE bottles per month are sent for reprocessing Recycle printer and toner cartridges Offer a recycling service for pipette tip packaging Promote the recycling of old catalogues Fully bunded manufacturing site All rainwater passes through treatment plant before leaving the site

Recycle

of our general waste

Transportation
Own transport fleet

more than 85%

Use of environmentally friendly packaging

Green-fillTM packing is totally biodegradable Re-use 6000 pulp inserts for packaging bottles per month Amber glass bottles and jars are produced from partially recycled glass and are 100% recyclable Provide returnable stainless steel containers (10 to 1000 litres) for customers Use recyclable outer cartons

Satellite navigation results in more efcient journey planning Backhauling lorries returning from customers collect from our suppliers Use low resistance tyres offering fuel savings Use vehicles with air deflectors making them more aerodynamic Monitor CO2 emissions per vehicle on a monthly basis Use of up to date teleconferencing facilities to reduce travel

Continuously develop and improve

Adherence to legal and regulatory requirements Resources
Temperature control systems and boilers have been replaced reducing our gas consumption by 30% Installed electricity sub-metering which is remotely monitored giving greater control ISO 14001:2004 certified Follow the European directives RoHs, REACH and WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations 2006

our e-commerce solutions to reduce hard copy orders and invoices

Awards
Fisher Scientic has received the Green Apple Award for Best Practice for our chemical bottle collection and recycling service. The Green Apple awards are given by The Green Organisation, an independent, non-political, non-activist, non-prot environment group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world.

Installed eco-lighting and motion sensors in our warehouse Removed hot water tanks and replaced with on-demand hot water Catalogues are produced using sustainable wood pulp and recycled paper Continuously develop and improve our e-commerce solutions to reduce hard copy orders and invoices.

In line with the WEEE regulations Fisher Scientic is registered with ERP UK Ltd, which is a legally approved Compliance Scheme (Approval Number WEEE/XP3338PD/SCH) Fisher Scientifics producer registration number is WEE/CH0049TZ We are EU packaging directive compliant

Ethics

Our Commitment to Employee Ethics

Fisher Scientic, part of Thermo Fisher Scientic requires the highest standards of business ethics and integrity on the part of all employees. To this end, Thermo Fisher Scientic has adopted and implemented a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. Every year each employee is obliged to undertake training on this Code of Conduct and certify that they are in compliance with the Code. Our code of conduct respects the rights of the individual, the environment and the law and in so doing fosters a relationship amongst all signatories of mutual trust.

Our four principal values - the 4 Is - are enshrined in the culture of our organisation. These are: Integrity
Honour commitments Treat others with dignity and respect Communicate openly and encourage candid feedback Be accountable for successes and failures Be a role model for our values

Intensity
Drive to win/win Focus on the desired result Work with speed, passion, and a can-do attitude Win with dignity, lose with renewed commitment Hold ourselves to a higher standard

Innovation
Demonstrate a passion for discovery and learning Raise the bar, push the standard Recognise opportunities and take risks Practice continuous improvement Learn from the best practices

Involvement
Team up with colleagues and with customers to win together Listen actively; communicate completely Be a role model in everything you do Think and act globally Seek out challenges

i i i i

Corporate Social Responsibility

Our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy rests on four pillars: Innovation, Operations, Service and Philanthropy. We develop and deliver innovative and environmentally responsible products to our customers. We emphasise environmental stewardship, sound nancial management, and operational efciency, while fostering a positive and sustainable workplace for our employees. We serve the communities in which we live and work with hands-on involvement through volunteerism and other charitable causes. We provide philanthropic support with the overarching goal of inspiring students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, so they will one day help us full our mission as future employees or customers.

Serving the Community

Fisher Scientic has set up an employee-led Community Action Council organising hands-on volunteering within our community. We are a member of Leicestershire Cares - which brings businesses and communities together, for the benet of all, through employee volunteering. We have been involved in a number of projects such as supporting pupils with literacy at a local primary school, listening to children read, and helping them with their learning, providing support for communities through practical group projects by restoring and decorating a room in a local community centre, clearing overgrown land for use by a school, and carrying out a shopping trip with blind and partially sighted members of our community.

Recently we have been collaborating with local school children by becoming business mentors and aiding them in developing their creative and business skills. A group of pupils aged 12-14 were tasked with producing their own product display at Science World, the Fisher Scientic Laboratory Experience held at Wembley Stadium in April 2012. They produced an admirable stand and it will certainly be an experience they will take with them into their later working life.

Matching Gift
Through the Thermo Fisher Scientific Matching Gift scheme, Fisher Scientific employees have been involved in a number of charitable events sponsored walks and runs, cake and biscuit sales, just to name a few. The scheme enables employees to donate to eligible organisations of their choice with an additional company match of 50% directed to those organisations.

We serve the communities in which we

live and work

We hope that this document goes some way to highlighting the commitment that we all have at Fisher Scientic to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer not just with the products we sell but in the way we work and manage our business. Our policies and ISO certicates are available for download from our website:

www.sher.co.uk

Printed on recycled paper

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