Following the completion of a successful shadow board and colour coding review with Warburtons', we had a quick Q&A session with Mike Pennington.
Q1) Hello Mike. Please give us a brief overview of what happens at Warburtons Newburn, along with a short description of your role.
Hi, I'm
Mike, I've worked for Warburtons for almost three years now within the technical department. Myself and the rest of our department are primarily responsible for product quality and food safety. We create all process specifications for the bakery and set the standards for the operatives / team leaders to adhere to.
Q2) What problem were you looking to solve?
- Our utensil usage was excessively high.
- The shadow boards we had at the time were not fit for purpose. (Some were damaged, and some were no longer relevant as the bakery had changed over time, meaning the original tools were no longer required for the new processes.)
- We also wanted to improve communication within the production teams.
Q3) What solution did Klipspringer provide you with?
Klipspringer was able to facilitate coming to the bakery at short notice and helped us record all details of what we needed for each area. The shadow boards we ordered are of exceptional quality. We particularly like the rail system where we can slide hooks into place ourselves. This gives us the freedom to replace a hook in the unlikely event it was to be damaged, rather than replacing the entire board.
We've ordered a large range of custom shadow boards, ranging from wall mounted to free standing on stainless steel frames. All of our boards have arrived expertly packaged to erase the risk of damage during transit.
We also ordered several custom aluminium composite boards with a whiteboard laminate that enabled each production team to record issues in real time. This enabled the team leaders to easily identify problem areas and take steps to rectify any problems. They are then able to use the boards to feedback to the team with what action has been taken.
Q4) What were the benefits to you of using Klipspringer and the solution we provided?
Immediately after installing the shadow boards, our utensil usage costs decreased - the hygiene team and the technical department could easily monitor when people were or were not returning utensils to boards. This enabled us to challenge behaviours within the bakery. Over time the culture within the bakery has changed, and production operatives are now fully on board with cleaning and then returning items to shadow boards.
Another benefit of using the boards / signs produced by Klipspringer is that they are visually pleasing to the eye. This ultimately makes the bakery stand out. The colours used stand out and draw your attention to the board / sign.
Q5) What key advice/tips would you give to other people looking to solve the same problem?
The main advice I could give is to contact one of the Klipspringer team with what you're trying to achieve. I've never been pushed towards buying something, I've always had the benefits explained so that I can make an informed choice to make sure the bakery receives what it needs.
Q6) Any other comments you would like to make about your experience with Klipspringer?
I've never had a negative experience with any of the team at Klipspringer, I'm not saying things haven't gone ever so slightly wrong in the past, but when they have you can tell that the team at Klipspringer will go above and beyond to rectify any and all issues as efficiently and effectively as humanly possible.
I've found all of the team that I've spoken to to be knowledgeable, passionate and keen to help you make a positive difference with the project you're working on.