Daily Dose Corby, Daily Dose
Operating from its recently acquired headquarters in Corby, the 50 strong team at Daily Dose have showcased their loyalty and perseverance through a period of extreme change for the company.
As mentioned above, the pressed juice maker has recently completed a successful transition that included moving its entire operation from St. Neots to Corby while managing the installation of the largest high-pressure processing (HPP) machine in the UK, a fully automated filling line and a new smoothie processing machine.
Daily Dose achieved the move without any significant disruption to production and customer service, all with the support of its entire team who all moved with the business from its original home in London. This seamless transition was managed through daily briefing sessions to align everyone’s activities to ensure each department was informed about the next steps, including potential roadblocks or urgent customer requirements.
The manufacturer described how its quality manager went above and beyond by organizing training sessions on new protocols for every team member to ensure all members of staff understood the new safety and quality requirements. Meanwhile, the HR Manager played an integral role in keeping morale high, organizing team-building activities and regular check-ins to ensure the well-being of both new and existing team members.
One of Daily Dose’s retail customers once expressed concerns about the tight timelines for new product launches. In response, the manufacturer’s operations team worked around the clock, coordinating across departments to meet the deadlines without compromising quality.
The customer later shared in a testimonial: “Daily Dose went above and beyond to ensure our launch went smoothly. The team’s dedication and communication were outstanding, and the quality of their products truly set them apart.”
Lucknow Road, Bodmin, Proper Cornish
The team at Proper Cornish’s Lucknow Road site in Bodmin proved itself in the fourth quarter of 2023 after successfully gaining the biggest contract in its 36-year history. The pasty maker was invited to manufacture a product for a national bakery chain, producing 14.3 million units per year, or 275,000 units per week.
Due to insufficient time to purchase and install a new machine, the manufacturer took the decision to convert a redundant 1990 machine, which had not been operated for 10 years, from analogue to digital to help it meet its deadline. The process involved full rewiring, replacing components and replacement of mechanical elements.
To support the development of the product, Proper Cornish we had to introduce new shift patterns and recruit sufficient new colleagues – 60 in total – to cover the growth which, due to competition in the area for similar jobs, meant we needed to look outside of the box to attract candidates and get them through the recruitment process quickly and smoothly.
The manufacturer introduced new HR software to assist the recruitment process and enlisted the support of our marketing department to design recruitment materials, social media campaigns and embark upon a local radio advertising campaign.
Proper Cornish has achieved 20% volume growth year on year thanks to the new contract, an additional £5m in sales turnover (£6.5m annualised), and no significant increase in site fixed overhead costs. While the business had to restructure of multiple shift patterns to create capacity, this did not result in any loss of current team members.
One Proper Cornish customer said: “It was great to meet you and thank you to you and your team for the great hospitality. I found it really valuable being able to see the first production and all of the hard work that has gone into this new venture. Hopefully the start of a long and successful relationship.”
Quarry Kitchen, Charlie Bigham’s
The tight knit continuous improvement (CI) team at Charlie Bigham’s Quarry Kitchen site has had an exceptional year, achieving more than £1m in margin improvements and delivering an additional £600,000 through CI-focused initiatives.
The team’s primary focus for the year was on delivering new weighing technologies, targeting several key areas for improvement that included margin enhancement, food waste reduction, reducing dish rejection, derogation reductions, and process capability advancements.
Through its exceptional communication, collaborative approach and proactive engagement with various departments, the CI team conducted regular cross-functional meetings, workshops, and informal check-ins to gather feedback, share insights, and align everyone on project goals. This open dialogue was crucial for effectively implementing improvements and ensuring that all stakeholders were informed and involved.
Charlie Bigham’s noted how the team had excelled in breaking down complex technical concepts into clear, actionable steps. Additionally, their focus on reducing concession stock and dish rejections – alongside their work on improving process capability – highlighted their dedication to driving continuous improvement across all areas.
Since the start of the project, the CI team has achieved more than £1m in margin improvements, a reduction in food waste by 3,500 kg weekly (42 tonnes annually), £160,000 improvement in material variance, a reduction in dish derogation across all lines from 3.4% to 0.5%, and a 62% reduction in defects.
To ensure these improvements were sustained and to mitigate any potential performance declines, the team established a new project objective: to train the wider team in core CI skills using A3 problem-solving techniques. This effort resulted in 24 team leaders and 7 shift managers across all functions receiving training.
Westerleigh, Pilgrims Europe
In July 2023, Pilgrim’s Europe expanded its Westerleigh site to accommodate increased volume as part of the business’s focus on growth and long-term sustainability. Operations based at a former Pilgrim’s Europe site were transferred to the expanded facilities in Westerleigh and Spalding, along with all pigs and product stock, ensuring supply chain continuity and preventing food waste and financial losses.
These changes meant the Westerleigh site had to manage a 46% increase in volume within just 45 days, all while keeping up with service standards and quality. The entire team successfully managed a significant uplift in workload, and tackled the challenge head-on despite the tight window.
Even more impressive, the site maintained 100% service levels despite the increased workload. Quality levels were maintained, the team stayed safe and an extensive induction and training plan was successfully executed.
The key challenge the team faced was managing the substantial increase in workload as part of the integration of additional stock. This created a significant strain on all departments and required swift, strategic adjustments.
To overcome this, the Westerleigh team had to tackle multiple obstacles, including recruiting additional local staff despite a competitive skills market, revising shift patterns to accommodate the increased demand, and handling the rise in livestock and vehicle traffic.
By successfully delivering the project, the team both kept the Southwest supply chain running smoothly and ensured stores stayed fully stocked, preventing any product shortages or waste. Their efforts helped maintain business continuity and customer satisfaction.
During a farm roadshow organised by the team – created to engage with the farmers, address their concerns, and reinforce the partnership between the site and its suppliers – one farmer said: “The communication from the Westerleigh team has been outstanding. It’s clear they value us as partners, and we feel more involved than ever.”
Belazu Ingredients Company, The Fresh Olive Company
The production team at Belazu was tasked with insulating its customers from continued food price inflation by driving efficiencies in its own production. The resulting transformation across the team in attitude, engagement, creativity and exceptional teamwork has provided a blueprint for operational efficiency that the rest of the business has been inspired by.
The business invested in an operational consultancy for process evaluation, to identify potential efficiency and support an action plan. Belazu then invested in Six Sigma Green Belt training, delivering 10 cross functional projects.
After being initially hesitant to change, the team soon recognised the areas in which they could improve and through workshops, projects were scoped, opportunities were identified and individuals were charged with championing continuous improvement.
The implementation of daily huddles was key in empowering each supervisor to work directly with their teams to make improvements in their area of focus. This gave an immediate voice to those in low discretion roles. Supervisors were engaged and excited by the opportunity to shape their working environments and embraced opportunities to collaborate. They were experimental, open minded and curious about the art of the possible.
Belazu has moved from a negative labour accrual to a sustainable positive one. The team are working smarter not harder as a result of the improvements they have made and projects undertaken are expected to deliver a combined efficiency of £1m this year.
The winners for next year’s awards will be announced at a gala dinner held at the London Hilton Bankside. Tickets are available to purchase here.
The Food Manufacture Excellence Awards 2025 are kindly supported by headliner Menzies and event sponsors Niras, Quor, and Watermill Press.
