Case Study: Frank Roberts
Fresh Approach - Traditional Values
Frank Roberts and Sons Ltd, based in the Cheshire Market town of Northwich was established in 1887. The site is home to both branches of the business: Roberts Bakery which produces over 2 million loaves, rolls and morning goods each week and The Pastry Case, which specialises in sweet bakery products. Still run by the Roberts Family, the Company is an integral part of the community. The extensive range of Frank Roberts & Pastry Case products are widely available across Cheshire, Staffordshire, North Wales and the Midlands both in supermarkets and convenience stores.
The Roberts brand is synonymous with quality and only the finest ingredients go into their products, the cleaning and hygiene program in place at the Northwich bakery was designed to maintain the highest hygiene standards thereby ensuring maximum compliance with major supermarket audits, however problems were occurring with cleaning equipment being - left in a corner, in the wrong location and some interdepartmental "theft" was occurring.
Working together with Cutlers, shadow boards were designed for each production area, each colour coded and area specific and fitted with the correct task specific tools.
As a result all tools and equipment are kept off the floor and in the correct department, shift changes are now able to sign - "cleaning equipment in place".
Alison Ordonez, Technical Manager, states - "following the installation of our shadow boards cleaning efficiency has improved, we can see at a glance that all the equipment is in place and spend on hygiene equipment has reduced, auditors from our major customers have commented favourably on this improvement to our hygiene program".
www.frank-roberts.co.uk
Case Study: F Duerr & Sons
A family business since 1881 - Preserving Quality for over a Century
From the past
In her small kitchen in Heywood, north Manchester, Mary Duerr made jams and marmalade for her family and friends. Her reputation for quality was well known within the locality. In 1881 Fred Duerr met "honest" John Butterworth the buyer from the Heywood Co-operative Society, who was experiencing difficulty obtaining jams of high quality. John asked if Fred would consider supplying his society. From that chance meeting the family business was born. At first, Mary did all the cooking and Fred delivered by handcart. Initially a small factory was purchased at Guide Bridge, Manchester, but by 1890, Duerr's manufacturing levels had outgrown these premises and a purpose contructed factory was built at Old Trafford, the site still occupied today.
To the future
Innovation and quality have always been the cornerstone of Duerr's philosophy, pioneering, vacuum sealing, tamper proof lids and shrink sealing on their products amongst other innovations. In 1989 the company diversified into the peanut butter market supplying major multiples with crunchy and smooth varieties in their own name together with Duerr's Whole Earth peanut butter which has grown to become the second most popular brand on the UK market. In 1996 the company invested in a 70,000sq ft site in Wythenshawe in order to satisfy demand as their market share increased. Today, Duerr's products can be found all over the world as the company exports to over 30 different countries. Duerr's remains very much a family business, and a member of the Duerr family has sat at the helm of the company since its inception. This has ensured that the traditions so lovingly begun by Mary are adhered to today, with the emphasis on quality, innovation and manufacturing excellence.
This same emphasis in Duerr's cleaning and hygiene program has ensured that the highest standards are maintained, these were further enhanced with the installation of Cutlers shadow boards, each board was carefully designed and colour coded to suit Duerr's task specific hygiene program.
Adrian Johnson, Services Manager, states - "the installation of shadow boards has vastly improved efficiency, operatives no longer spend time searching for the correct equipment as it's always in place, our customers really appreciate these improvement to our systems".
www.duerrs.co.uk
