SafetyChain Blog

In uncertain times, it’s important for Food & Beverage companies to reassure their customers that food and safety standard are being met consistently. Yet, COVID-19 has introduced unique challenges for undergoing and performing audits, from social distancing to risks associated with travel. Unfortunately, waiting until the threat of the virus is completely gone to have an audit performed could cause your certification to lapse, which could risk the loss of important customers.

In Food and Beverage and CPG, it’s not just your company’s internal performance that matters. Every link in the supply chain plays a role in quality, which is why it’s critical to ensure your suppliers are performing to your expectations. A strong supplier approval program should be comprehensive enough to not only minimize risks, but also satisfy compliance regulations such as FSMA’s requirement for Foreign Supplier Verification Programs.

As you work to strengthen your supplier assessment procedure and other elements of your approval program, here are a few steps to consider incorporating into your processes.

Many leaders in process manufacturing plants know there’s a wealth of benefits to be had by going paperless. Yet, transforming processes which have been in place for years—or even decades—is a daunting prospect. Oftentimes, there’s a considerable gap between where facilities are now and where they want to be. Filling that gap is the end goal, since going paperless will allow you to leverage your plant’s data to drive measurable performance improvements and boost profitability. But where do you begin?

Here, we’ll dive into what it looks like to go digital, including the processes and technology it takes to get there.

The Food & Beverage industry proved its resilience in 2020, perhaps more than any other time in history. Here at SafetyChain, we watched as companies overcame enormous pressures to keep shelves stocked and employees healthy in the midst of ever-evolving CDC updates and guidelines. While safety and agility have always been critical to success in the industry, COVID-19 called for quick thinking when supply chains were disrupted, as well as an even stronger commitment to safety - both of our food and employees.

What Is Statistical Process Control?

Simply put, SPC uses statistical methods and sampling programs to help plant and operations managers understand and control variability in their manufacturing processes. Process variations are displayed in real-time charts and trigger alerts as processes begin to trend out of expected, standard limits. The main objective of statistical process control (SPC) is to better manage operations and reduce waste and the need for rework. Plant and Ops managers like SPC because it gives them the concrete information they need to stop a line and fix problems before they spin out of control.

While it remains important in any aspect of manufacturing, root cause analysis in the food, beverage, and CPG industries is critical for safety, compliance, and performance reasons. Oftentimes, problems arise which do not have an obvious explanation. In these instances, further investigation is necessary to arrive at the root cause. 

OEE is a critical metric for manufacturing plants to track. With proper, consistent measurement, it allows plant managers to track the overall performance of their facilities and determine the root cause behind line interruptions, unplanned downtime, quality rejections, and equipment problems. This root cause analysis saves manufacturing teams significant time and effort. What might take weeks to diagnose can be uncovered through smart and sophisticated trend analysis, all made possible through OEE tracking software. Here’s what you need to know about deploying this powerful solution in your plant.

Business Intelligence for Your Food Facility

What if you could oversee the operations of your entire business from the phone in your pocket (or in your hand, right now as you read this)?

What if you could LINK to the real-time performance of your business’s food safety, quality and operations with the same ease that athletes track fitness activity through a Fitbit?

Albertsons is transforming operations by using modern Cloud-based QMS software, SafetyChain. In this article, we'll share with you why Albertsons decided to eliminate their paper-intensive processes and turn files and forms into real business intelligence that supports compliance efforts, 24/7 audit-readiness, transparency, and drives continuous improvement.

Real-time data empowers food manufacturers and processors to make smarter, faster decisions. Through food quality management systems, food and beverage companies gain visibility into all of their operations for a comprehensive overview of what’s going on at any given minute. This makes it easier to spot and respond to red flags before they become major issues, uncover and address performance issues, and reduce costs with the help of automation.