A Leading Processing Plant in Washington

Automating Quality Control & Inspection To Avoid Quality Deviations

Problem

The existing solution was outdated and basically used paper-based forms and later spreadsheets to enter data for inspections. These manual compliance processes made audits difficult and caused quality deviations and delays.

Need

The client needed an automated quality and compliance solution to save time, improve food safety and quality, minimize errors and reduce the workload. Manual processes were slowing down the processes.

Solution

The solution helped automate audits and inspections and facilitated the client in tracking the processes and activities. It helped the management get total visibility over the processes in the fields so that they could take faster data-driven decisions.

About

The Processing Plant

It is a state-of-the-art beef processing plant in Washington and is known for prioritizing the health and welfare of the cattle at its plant. With more than 24 food safety interventions and 11 on-site USDA employees, they take numerous measures to ensure safety as well as premium quality.

Understanding the Challenge

Manual Quality & Compliance Processes Causing Delays and Quality Deviations

The existing system being used consisted mainly of spreadsheets, with some sampling and testing of data. It was outdated and did not work the way they wanted it to work. Moreover, the inspection results were mostly noted on paper-based forms, while only some were entered directly into the system.

There was no real-time data check, so the management didn’t know what is going on until the paper-based forms are submitted at the end of the day.
They could not take proactive decisions because they only got to know about quality deviations after they had occurred.
Audits are difficult because it took a long time to look through papers for the right documents.
It was hard to keep up with changes in USDA regulations with paper-based forms because each change took a long while to implement and the forms have to be reprinted and redistributed all over again.

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Why is Digital Transformation
Important?

Successful meat producers and processors in the 21st century need to be extremely productive, efficient, and resilient if they are to stand the test of digital, the data driven, revolution in the sector. It plays a pivotal role in driving optimum outcomes by controlling and managing data across the value chain.

Building the Solution

Digitally Transforming Business Workflows with a Quality Management Software

The solution helped the client track their inspection and audit activities and facilitated them in automating the business workflows and streamlining operations. It helped the manager get a 360-degree view of what was going on in the field so that he could be proactive in taking decisions. This led to fewer quality deviations as well as recalls because the manager could accept or reject the task in real-time without having to wait for the workers to return.

Our Approach

Understanding The User Journey
We went through a digital discovery process to understand the issues the client was facing and what they wanted to achieve with the solution. We went deep into the details and tried to address the root cause in order to come up with the perfect solution.
Building Wireframes & Designs
After understanding the workflow and creating user personas, we went on build wireframes, and later designs, for the solution we were proposing. We then ran the designs past the client and go them approved before building a prototype and starting development.
Development
This was when our team of developers got to work to develop a modular solution. Other than the server components for data management, the team went on to build an administrative module for user management as well as work order management, and a QA module to manage their daily quality control tasks.
Deployment, Testing & Training
We helped deploy the solution after integrating it with the backend and then offered training to the client so they could understand the new solution and gain from it in the best possible way.

The Solution

1- Administrative Module

A web-based application for the administration and management: This module will allow them to manage and
oversee everything happening in the fields from within their offices via an admin dashboard.

The Resulting Transformation

Streamlining Quality Assurance Management

The solution helped turn the situation around for the client and gave them exactly what they needed in the form of an automated quality, control, and management solution. It helped them streamline their quality management and improved overall business effectiveness. Electronic reporting helped make audits much easier and faster and there no longer had to be any delays because the USDA officials could access the application with their own accounts. The solution helped add value to the client’s business in the following ways:

Rreduced Work load

More than 65% of the workflows and more than one hundred forms were digitized which reduced the load on the workers.

Improved work quality

Productivity, as well as the quality of work, was improved as the tasks were digitized and the chances of errors are reduced at all levels.

Task automation reduced data errors

Data errors made due to human negligence were minimized because most repetitive tasks were automated and the check and balance is maintained by having real time data.

Automated corrective actions

The management can now automate corrective actions, which minimizes the time taken to amend quality deviations and other such situations.

Improved quality management procedures

The management can also leverage preventive maintenance which also improves quality management and reduces the number of recalls.