Applications for the Food Industry

World Class Manufacturing

World class manufacturing dependably provides safe, high grade products that will minimize corporate risk and maximize market share and profit potential. World class manufacturers develop and maintain processes that are stable and capable of meeting all specifications. This depends upon monitoring and controlling all processes, focusing on continuous process improvement methods and providing process analysis and reports to all parts of the enterprise.

A variety of quality and process management systems have been developed to support world class manufacturing including TQM, Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) and Six Sigma.  NWA SPC and Manufacturing Analytics software provides the fundamental analytical and reporting tools that support these programs and enable world class manufacturing.  

Food processing often operates on small margins. Making profits requires careful attention to controlling processes and maximizing yield. An example is rigid fill weight and portion control. SPC is the best method to maximize and control such processes.

• Optimizing Product Fill Weights

Historically, food processing has used contract manufacturers and co-packers for specialty products. The current trend is for greater use of these services in a broader base of products. In addition, the food industry employs ever growing and more complex supply chains covering all aspects from raw ingredients to final retail market, food service, and restaurant customers. 

Managing supply chain quality is critical for both minimizing risk and maximizing profits. SPC is a core tool for managing vendors and supply chains and maximizing food safety, quality, and profit.  MA is the best approach to monitoring and managing the food processing enterprise. The food industry is rapidly developing vendor certification and supply chain quality management systems that rival the sophistication of fields such as aerospace and automotive. For example, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has implemented such a program for the purchase of ground beef for the school lunch program:

• Article: Supply Chain Management in the Purchase of Ground Beef
• Webcast: Supply Chain Quality Management
• Video: Food Safety in the Food Supply Chain

Food companies have been actively trimming work force and facilities during the last decade, and industry analysts observe processors have already realized most of the gain to be had by this process. Increasing efficiencies by continuous process improvement methods is the most effective way to maintain growth in both enterprise operations and the supply chain.

Additional World Class Manufacturing Links

• Achieving Customer Specifications Through Process Improvement
  ConAgra uses SPC to develop process that is highly capable of meeting specifications, and establishes role as a dependable and profitable vendor.
• An Alternative to Reduce Variables in Cuts
  Cargill’s Excel Corp. pork plants use Quality Analyst to reduce variation, meet specifications and make money.
• Analyzing Plant Sanitation Processes Using Statistical Process Control
  SPC techniques coupled with simple environmental monitoring techniques prove superior to visual techniques to determine effectiveness of plant sanitation programs and meet sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs).
• Choosing and Implementing SPC Software in the Food Processing Industries
  The correct SPC software choice means getting more done with less effort. Case study on how to determine allowable raw material variation to meet regulatory label requirements.
• Iams Premium Pet Food Targets Package Fill Weights With NWA Quality Analyst Software
  Iams uses Quality Analyst to monitor everything from incoming raw materials to final package fill weight to deliver consistent product.
• Median/Individual Measurements Control Charting and Analysis for Family Processes
  Modern food processing uses many ‘family processes’ such as multi-head fillers which are not easily controlled by conventional SPC methods. M/I charting methods more effectively control multi-head fillers and allow better control of variables such as fill weight in high volume operations.
• Moving From Inspection to Statistical Process Control
  The food industry is moving from an inspection and audit based model to a process management model using SPC to satisfy both internal process management and customer reporting requirements.
• Moving from Product Control to Process Control
  The current best practice in food processing is to design quality and safety into the product and manufacturing process rather than inspecting the product for either quality or safety attributes. This requires using SPC and continuous process improvement methods to monitor and control the process.
• Statistical Process Control in the Packaging Industry
  Packaging production uses NWA SPC software to simplify set-up, optimize metal and plastic container production and diagnose problems while meeting internal specifications and customer requirements.
• NWA Quality Analyst Keeps Willamette in Control
  Weyerhaeuser subsidiary Willamette Industries uses NWA data collection and SPC software to improve packaging and to satisfy customer requirements.
• Optimizing Product Fill Weights
  SPC enables manufacturers to optimize product fill weights, minimize overfill, and comply with regulatory label requirements.
• Saint-Gobain Containers Achieves High Efficiency with NWA Quality Analyst Software
  Saint-Gobain uses NWA software to monitor furnace and mold operation to produce food and beverage containers that meet customer specifications.
• SPC Inspires Global Quality Culture for Multinational Giant
  Crown Cork & Seal uses NWA software on a worldwide basis to reduce process variation, to determine if the process is capable of meeting customer specifications and to provide quality deliverables for customer contracts.
• Using NWA Quality Monitor for HACCP Data Collection in Food Processing
  Quality Monitor solves the problems of collecting and recording Critical Control Point (CCP) data, enforcing SOPs, alarming CCP violations and recording corrective actions.
• When it Comes to SPC, People are the Hard Part of the Equation
  Successful SPC and continuous process improvement programs require time and resource commitment plus full participation of all staff from operators to management.

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