Simply Fresh Foods, Manchester, UK.

Simply Fresh are a company that pride themselves on quality, value and service. The emphasis is on product quality and innovation through NPD, technical and production processes. As the company has grown in size, the technical and logistical demands on the business have risen exponentially. Following a devastating fire in 2006, a new state of the art factory was built and operations commenced in July 2008. Production is carried out across two sites, both of which use the latest technology and technical expertise to ensure the highest quality at every stage. 

New state of the art factory

With the installation of a new state of the art factory in Manchester, Simply Foods wanted to introduce automated systems across as many areas of the business as possible.

With a ‘Right first time…and every time’ philosophy Simply Foods aims to have an advantage over the competition in every area of their business, whilst also delighting their customers. The quality management system was therefore a key decision, to satisfy demanding customers and minimize waste. It needed to provide thorough, effective, traceable, cost efficient and time saving management of the quality assessment process, with the flexibility to grow with the company as it gears up to expand.

So they chose the Principles Quality Manager (PQM) as the state of the art paperless system. MD Steve Francis says “Improving the quality of what we produce is an essential part of being able to expand our business. With ever increasing demands on quality and traceability from customers, we needed a system that would not only help improve our quality assessment but actively contribute to the smooth and efficient running of the company, adding to profitability and expansion.”

Quickly rolled out across all production lines

The system was initially piloted on two production lines; this was quickly rolled out on all lines. Whereas initially the PQM system was only used for dispatch and process quality checks, it was soon being employed across goods in, preparation, shelf life, hygiene and for new quality checks throughout the process.

The system was fully installed in January 2009. “The simplicity of the system, and Applied Principles’ responsiveness, has allowed us to quickly and effectively add to the number of tasks and checks we use the system for. One of the biggest fears was that the system would become a state of the art dust collector….but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The system is actively contributing to improvements in the quality of our entire process and to the smooth and efficient running of the company.”

MD of Applied Principles JJ Kotze adds: “It’s very satisfying to develop a bespoke system that really works for our customers and see them grasp the opportunity to use the system for new checks, and in areas of their business they hadn’t even thought of. It’s fairly typical that once a client works with our simple to use system and sees the improvement in quality it can bring, they are keen to expand its use.”

A new attitude towards quality

Jill Tolan, technical manager has seen a difference in attitude across the company. “The level of ‘noise’ about quality throughout the company has risen perceptibly, from the canteen to the factory floor. The system forces everybody to be accountable and take pride in what we produce and because the system creates a uniformity of standards across shifts, everyone is working to the same goal.”

Labour Savings

One of the unexpected benefits of the system has been to save on labour. Quality auditing duties have switched from the quality control team to production, as quality assessment has become a seamless part of the production process. As a result, Simply Foods has reduced the number of quality controllers from 8 to 6.

“We didn’t anticipate Principles Quality Manager as labour saving or as a function of the production department…but I’m delighted we now have both.” And while downsizing the quality control department, the number of quality checks has actually increased. “We are now spending more time auditing for quality assessment and the whole process is more effective and efficient as everything is done in real-time, non-compliances are addressed immediately, with the knock on effect of a noticeable improvement in product quality.The PQM doesn’t lie. For example you can’t get away with recording a temperature close to the ideal…it has to be exactly right and if it’s not, the manager is alerted with a series of options for remedying the situation. And it has to be addressed there and then. This inevitably helps to avoid any serious, potentially costly situations occurring like labeling issues or product recall.”

Much more demanding of their suppliers

All suppliers to Simply Foods work to a detailed specification sheet. The quality of supply is already high but using PQM has led to an unexpected improvement in supplier quality, too.  “The system means we are now more demanding on suppliers than ever before. We now have a much more robust checking system in place both in real-time and on an historical basis, withdetailed analysis of supply trends over a period of time. For example the ability to take photographs of raw materials is invaluable and especially crucial in supplier reviews. Rejection has definitely increased which, as well as improving quality, has the knock on effect of saving us money. Our suppliers sometimes wish we hadn’t got PQM! But I know they appreciate that our increased diligence in the quality of raw material supply has a knock on benefit for them. Whilst we are able to meet the high standards our customers demand and expand both the number of lines we produce and our customer base, our suppliers can enjoy the benefits of continued and increased business with us.

BRC Compliance

Our customers have also been very impressed with our QMS system and two of them are keen to use the system in their own businesses.”Although there hasn’t been an audit at Simply Foods since the Principles Quality Manager was introduced, Jill is confident it will make a huge difference. “Because the system is BRC compliant the hard work has been done, collated and stored on an on-going basis. The information is thorough, complete and can be retrieved quickly. This will save time during the audit process but also means we are presenting ourselves in the best possible light to auditors.”

Quality of information improved

The single biggest difference QMS has made to Simply Foods business is in the quality of information it now has in its possession. Jill says: “We feel more informed about what is going on and in real-time, which enables us to address and remedy situations as they occur. This has really strengthened the business and our confidence in it. Operationally the system has worked brilliantly, ensuring high standards are met and improving both the number and level of checks. This has been most noticeable in the goods in department.”

MD Steve Francis adds: “It feels like the Principles Quality Manager is working for our business, helping to simplify systems, introducing more thorough checks, streamlining staffing, increasing knowledge, enabling corrective action to be taken in real-time and ultimately increasing quality. This is vital in the highly competitive and growing market we operate in. It means we are a more efficient, profitable company and can be really proud of what we produce. We are already rolling PQM out in the horticulture side of our business and have identified other potential future uses. The adaptability and versatility of the system means it will be a major tool in building our business moving forward.”