Identifying the key stakeholders for an efficient production line

When you are looking to set up a new production line, it’s vital to identify the consultants and suppliers you will need to work with to turn your vision into a reality. After all, food processing has become fiercely competitive with manufacturers being asked for speedier production and increased efficiency at ever-lower prices.

To establish an efficient production line, you need to think of every potential stakeholder in the chain, from the raw material producers, the equipment suppliers and maintenance contractors, to packaging providers, logistics firms, distributors/customers and end consumers. Add in consultants and engineers and project managers, and it is easy to see just how complex the process can be.

The profitability of food processing firms is directly correlated to the efficiency of their manufacturing lines, so choosing the right partners is crucial.

In this blog we’ve compiled a list of the key stakeholders you’ll likely need on-side.

• Choose your raw material suppliers
• Identifying the best equipment suppliers
• One supplier or multiple
• Packaging

Choosing your raw material suppliers

Food manufacturers are responsible for food safety, so it is vital to vet the suppliers of your ingredients carefully.

The best way to do this is to establish strict procurement processes to ensure the selection of safe, high-quality raw materials. You should be clear about the specifications the materials must meet and perform checks to ensure they comply with the relevant industry regulations.

You may wish to opt for a single supplier for all your ingredients, but the ‘single sourcing’ method can leave firms vulnerable to non-availability. While it is more complicated to source raw materials from several suppliers, ‘multiple sourcing’ decreases the risk of non-availability of raw materials and may open up opportunities for negotiating more competitive prices.

When making decisions about where your raw materials come from, it is also worth checking potential transportation and importing issues, especially in the run-up to the end of the UK’s transition period with the EU.

Identifying the best equipment suppliers

One of the most common food contamination risks comes from the production line equipment itself. Metal such as nuts and bolts could get into the production line when machinery breaks. Shards of glass could make their way into products if a bulb breaks on the production line.

It is therefore vital that your equipment supplier, for every part of the production line, offers industry compliant specifications.

This must cover machinery that does everything from feeding the raw materials into the line to weighing, checkweighing, dispensing, inspecting and packaging your products.

As with the procurement of raw material suppliers, you need to have robust processes in place to check the credibility of the various equipment suppliers on your shortlist. Start by understanding what you need to produce your product to the correct standards.

Food production in the UK is highly regulated so once you know what you need, you’ll have to check the equipment enables you to be compliant with regulators such as the Food Standards Agency and British Retail Consortium Global Standards (BRGS), the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP), as well as EU directives and global standards such as the Global Food Safety Initiative. You should also check out local laws and any requirements relevant to the sector you operate within, such as HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice).

One supplier or multiple partners?

There are considerable advantages in having a single supplier of a fully integrated production line.

Having one point of contact for your project management should simplify and streamline the process. You won’t need to worry about whether the various manufacturer machines you need are compatible with one another, the planning process will be more straightforward, and the supplier will be able to do everything from correctly installing the equipment to maintaining and cleaning it. They will also be able to supply genuine spare parts, meaning quick turnaround and reduced downtime if something goes wrong.

If you don’t want to rely on a single supplier, be sure to check that multiple providers offer machinery that works together efficiently and that the suppliers themselves are used to working with other partners in the production line. Yamato’s fully integrated solutions mean your production lines will benefit from reduced wastage and increased accuracy, thanks to unique Yamato-to-Yamato protocols. These specially designed protocols enable faster re-calibration resulting in significant increases in cost efficiencies.

Packaging

Your goal is to ensure your supplier possesses the qualifications, certifications, production capabilities and attention to detail required to make your packaging project a success.

Think about whether you need packaging design support or an expert with knowledge of film structure, pallet optimisation, storage capabilities or logistics support.

The overriding factor when considering packaging solutions is the importance of making sure that what you choose will keep your product safe. So it must be sealed effectively, guaranteed to preserve structural integrity, while at the same time having shelf appeal.

Fall down in any of these areas and you risk a rise in damaged goods – or worse still products which are inedible or contaminated and may be subject to a product recall.

Parting words

When thinking about the stakeholders in your food production line, always bear in mind the need for flexibility.

Supply and demand can change at any time based on the availability of ingredients, the quality that is available and changes in consumer tastes. Further important considerations, especially in unstable economic periods and times of widespread illness, are the financial and health conditions of the people who will ultimately buy and consume food products.

It is for these reasons that food processors must ensure their production lines are as flexible as possible – and for that to happen, the stakeholders in the production line must also be able to adapt quickly to changing circumstances.