A worldwide leader in convenient snack Foods & Beverages, with revenues of $6B and 285,000+ employees, focuses on laboratory operations to Improve Quality Assurance and helps to overcome operational difficulties in new product introduction processes.
Challenge: The new product introduction (NPI) process itself was hampering the timely and efficient introduction of new products. Quality issues in new products emerged as a significant challenge.
Quality issues in new products emerged as a significant challenge, primarily due to a lack of statistical discipline within the R&D organization and process inefficiencies stemming from multiple quality standards.
Furthermore, the new product introduction (NPI) process was hampering the timely and efficient introduction of new products. Compounding these issues was a sub-optimal lab structure, which failed to support R&D projects adequately. This combination of factors led to delays, increased costs, and challenges in maintaining high-quality standards across new product lines, highlighting the organization's critical need for process and structural improvements.
Solution: Worldwide assessment of the beverage quality assurance including mapping both, the current and future state of the core ingredient release process to implement measurement and traceability systems.
An extensive worldwide assessment of the beverage quality assurance organizations and their core practices was conducted, leading to the customization of Greenbelt/Blackbelt training to improve the New Product Introduction (NPI) process. This initiative mapped the current and future state of the core ingredient release process as it relates to volume production. This comprehensive mapping covered formula development, manufacturing, equipment design, packaging, and the implementation of measurement and traceability systems.
To further enhance efficiency, a pull system was implemented in lab workflows. This system significantly eliminated physical and process wastes, streamlining operations and bolstering overall productivity in developing and introducing new products.
Results: Single, universal quality system implemented. The company was able to liberate R&D lab space and improve productivity.
- Single, universal quality system implemented following worldwide assessment of beverage quality assurance organization and its core practices
- $50MM estimated financial benefit from Green Belt/Black Belt projects
- 25-50% liberation of R&D lab space
- 25-30% improvement in lab productivity
- Client adopted and implemented batching process recommendations