Fine Food Preparation

BEING RECOGNIZED FOR QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY

LOCATION: Western Canada

PRIORITY OBJECTIVES:

The key project objective was to improve the operational effectiveness of our Client’s business by 30%. This would be achieved by an overall increase in production output with fewer labor resources. The challenge that the team faced was to accomplish this task while the economy was delivering a significant drop in volumes.

The approach taken was to:

• continuously right size the operation
• enhance operational processes in all departments
• implement Management Operating Systems (MOS) that would continually identify and resolve operational variances
• instill a culture of continuous improvement driven by accountability

PVA’S RESPONSE:

In order to achieve the operational improvements it was imperative that PVA identified the overriding criticality of skills, cross training and station fill issues in the Production Department.

In addition, the following was completed:

• A weekly Master Schedule was developed which identified the resource to volume requirements for all departments
• Effective training and coaching was provided to the Supervisors to better match their role to the organization’s active supervision needs
• When required, a clarified and enhanced role was implemented for the Lead Hands to empower them to make tough decisions on scheduling and other resource requirements
• Earned hours were developed for all products through observations and validation, to better assist in the management of changing mix issues (and now can be further used for improved product costing)
• Enhanced KPIs were implemented leading to a more balanced approach to managing the business (with quality and productivity both being considered in decision-making)
• Improved capacity planning was implemented that was both product and demand specific
• Improved scheduling practices lead to better optimization of resources and a more detailed review of performance

PROJECT RESULTS:

There is a sense of urgency at all levels which is unprecedented in the company’s long history. People are fully aware that accountability is important to their success. In retrospect, the daily meetings, the continuous feedback of KPI data and the involvement of Associates in identifying, analyzing, and resolving issues and expecting improved performance by the management team, have significantly contributed to the company’s ongoing and sustained improvement.

Some of the productivity results that our Client achieved were:

• Production improvement of 36%
• Packaging improvement of 20%
• Distribution improvement of 16%
• Sanitation improvement of 17%
• Maintenance improvement of 20%
• Sanitation improvement of 18%

In addition, Safety, Quality, Process Enhancement and Environmental Key Performance Indicators have all also improved.

PERPETUATION OF RESULTS:

The following are critical activities for the sustainment of results with our Client and for the perpetuation of the mindset and culture of continuous improvement implemented during the project:

• Immediately address through the WEEKLY EXECUTIVE MEETING all significant variances and ensure commitments to actions are measured and reacted to. The MOS defines the perfect day – anything less than that drives the need for corrective actions.
• Address the Associates every day at the SHIFT START and at the TRANSITION MEETINGS, addressing performance and focusing on their ownership and accountability.
• Pay attention to and fully support the COORDINATORS in their quest for perfection in processes, systems and behaviors.
• Address all significant issues either through the Managers or through the Continuous Improvement Program (CIP).
• Continually have Senior Management on the floor to verify firsthand the key concepts of continuous improvement.

Collaboration continues between PVA and this Client as they transition from the project implementation phase to the follow-up phase. Audits are starting and they will provide the feedback required to closely monitor the behavioral changes and the performance results. PVA will also conduct audits in order to support their management system compliance and a successful implementation of their Continuous Improvement Program.