The Impact of Flexibility in Food Processing

In the food processing industry, it has become a necessity to have efficient, yet adaptable, operations in terms of product, time, and resources.

 

One way to accommodate such operations is having the ability to alter production schedules, as the advantages that stem from such flexibility are priceless.

 

PRODUCTION NEEDS

Every business strives for improved productivity. But when incidents occur, it’s important to have the ability to address these events efficiently and effectively.

Production Planning

Sometimes production demands require working extra shifts, which also may mean providing employees with extra breaks. Adapting to these needs with smooth transitions is exceptionally useful for maintaining production deadlines and producing a quality product.

 

Rate of Production

Being able to alter production schedules quickly is necessary to account for the differences between large and small production runs. That flexibility of changing the schedule is even more crucial for co-packers and contract manufacturers, especially for those with small contracts, according to this article in Food Engineering Magazine.

 

Changing Consumer Trends

New products are constantly being introduced into the market, and oftentimes, consumer behavior changes faster than relevant products can be produced. This makes it difficult for food processors to keep up with consumer trends, which means production flexibility is important for standing out in a marketplace flooded with competition.

 

Consumers are also avoiding the center aisles of grocery stores and are gravitating towards fresher whole food products. With this added challenge, food processors need to be flexible and more creative to meet consumer demands.

 

Availability of Labor

Sustaining a productive workforce in any industry can be difficult with skilled labor being hard to find. Those in the food processing industry are also experiencing high levels of employee turnover, in some places as high as 44.6 percent. Furthermore, an effective new employee onboarding process is essential, especially when the employee will need to start working.

 

Flexible production scheduling becomes invaluable when dealing with these labor concerns.

 

Emergency Situations

Companies are much more successful when they can adapt to emergency situations, but when an incidence occurs resulting in lost production time, maintaining deadlines can be tricky. Therefore, flexibility is significant to production scheduling.

 

PARTNERING WITH CITY

Because flexibility in the food processing industry is so important, having an industrial uniform and laundry provider that understands this need is incredibly valuable.

 

Emergency Inventory

Our clients never run out of clean, compliant uniforms because of our ability to provide an on-site inventory that is available at all times. With our customized account management program, we determine your appropriate inventory levels based on usage, requirement needs, and contingencies that may occur.

 

Additionally, our clients with bulk inventory only pay for what they use, not for a percentage of their inventory. This CITY exclusive approach saves our clients up to 30 percent when compared to inventory-based billing.

 

“My work ethic, experience, and my ability to communicate with the client are what make me the best person for the job,” said Carl Kelly, route service representative for Iowa Premium, CITY’s largest account. “I’m able to get them the product they need, and whenever they need extra product, all they have to do is let me know and I can make that adjustment for them.”

 

Responsiveness

CITY believes in providing proactive communication for our clients. We strive to create a value added partnership, which means responding and following up with concerns or questions within 24 hours. Whether a client needs to offer their employees an additional break, work an extra shift, or needs to onboard new employees quickly, CITY can quickly supply them with exactly what they need.

 

“Not only are our uniforms delivered on time and in good repair, the customer service and response time to issues is exceptional. Things are fixed within days, and if we are missing something, it is brought to the plant before the next delivery.”

–Grain Millers Inc. | St Ansgar, Iowa

 

Quality Service

With our CITY Quality Management (CQM) system, which includes ultra-high frequency (UHF) garment tracking technology, we can supply our clients with clean, safe, and compliant uniforms. Our entire quality process has Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) always in mind.

 

AN IDEAL SOLUTION

Production needs that are constantly changing, as well as the need to onboard new employees quickly, are just a few of the reasons that partnering with CITY as your industrial uniform and laundry provider is an ideal solution.

 

For the full whitepaper on CITY’s approach to Food Safety, visit.