From certificate management to operations management: Gesellschaft für die Verwertung von Sonderabfällen (Mannheim) manages facility infrastructure, operating resources, and personnel deployment through GS-Service

Using the GS-Service operations management software, Gesellschaft für die Verwertung von Sonderabfällen mbH & Co. KG in Mannheim monitors and manages the certificates and authorizations of its employees and external service providers.

The status of facilities and equipment, as well as upcoming and completed maintenance activities, are also documented in a legally compliant manner.

What needs to be maintained at G.V.S., and what kind of operational management system is required?

Paßmann: It starts with the transshipment terminal for tankers, the two rail spurs, and the loading platforms for road tankers. This includes, for example, pressure testing the hoses used for loading and unloading. Of course, this also applies to stationary fire suppression systems, fall protection, explosion-proof equipment, catch basins for all tanks, double-floor systems with vacuum monitoring and sunshades, or overfill protection for the tanks, and so on. By the way, in GS-Service we also manage the laboratory equipment, including information on calibration, verification, and the corresponding test data.

The facilities are one thing; the people who operate them and their occupational safety are another. Especially for safety-critical environments, such as those operated by G.V.S., GS-Service offers solutions for permit management and information management related to medical fitness.

Paßmann: We handle this under “Certificate Management.” We primarily employ specialists in the individual waste management departments. They must have the appropriate qualifications and be physically capable of performing their duties—the same applies to third-party service providers. We can track the certificates and authorizations for employees and external personnel in GS-Service in compliance with all data protection regulations.

How does this work in practice?

Paßmann: The system checks whether an upcoming certification date falls in the past or the future. If it is coming up soon, the system creates a task via the PermitPlugin and notifies the user of the need to certify the employee. If the due date has already passed, access to the company premises can be denied.

You’ve already mentioned the laboratory work at G.V.S.—why do you maintain your own in-house laboratory?

Paßmann: Every shipment is tested and analyzed in the laboratory before it is accepted. This ensures that only approved substances are accepted and that occupational safety and plant safety requirements are taken into account. Based on this, we design solutions for disposal that are both environmentally sound and cost-effective—whether through our own facility or through the facilities of our partners, that is, waste disposal companies that we arrange as brokers.

What is the end result of the treatment process?

Paßmann: Either the recovery of solvents, energy recovery in industrial combustion plants, material recycling, or disposal in hazardous waste incineration facilities. Incidentally, we also continuously monitor our tank storage inventories and conduct a final analysis of every single outgoing shipment.

The Rhine-Neckar region is considered a hotspot for the chemical industry. Does that answer the question about your clientele?

Paßmann: Waste disposal on behalf of the chemical industry accounts for approximately 60% of our revenue. We also serve 38 other industrial sectors, including metallurgy, pharmaceuticals, plastics processing, automotive, surface treatment, electroplating, and even the military.

Where does G.V.S. operate?

Paßmann: We serve clients in the D.A.CH. region—Germany, Austria, and Switzerland—as both a broker and a waste disposal provider, as well as in Benelux, France, and Italy.