“We determine how we’re doing by looking at the OSHA (Office of Safety and Hazard Administration) incident rate, which the agency determines by examining our plant records. Part two of a two-part series.
Continued growth will necessitate more production capacity. Upon being slit, these bars receive a drizzle of chocolate from a decorating unit located on the line. As expected, there are daily reviews and response meetings held by each shift as well as operator hand-offs between shifts. EXOS is a human performance company headquartered in Phoenix with sites worldwide. “Our goal is for each plant to show improvement every year,” Hughes says. In 2011, the company invested in a new bar line from PTL, one that met its specific criteria involving RCO, such as easier-to-clean elements in the line as well as an ultrasonic cutter. Closed on: 05/11/2019 | Reposting: 1. this website.July's Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery publication features our State of the Industry: Snacks Report.This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience.

With regards to cold-forming or granola-type bars, the company has five high-capacity bar lines, all of which are located in Grand Rapids, producing 800,000 bars per shift.

By investing in an ultrasonic cutter from PTL, the blade doesn’t have to be sharpened until 10-12 shifts of production.

Robert Mihlethaler, H1 bar dept. What we’re finding is that bars are becoming much more complex. KPIs, Hughes adds, provide managers and employees with key metrics on how the plant is performing based on standards developed by the industry and in accordance with government regulations. Given that HFS’s mission is to be “the preferred bakery, snack, cereal and customized solution provider to premier food companies,” having world-class manufacturing capabilities makes that goal tenable. After the slab has been compressed to the right height, it's conveyed to an ultrasonic cutter. Developed by Hughes upon joining Hearthside at its very founding — the company was formed in 2009 upon acquiring the assets of Roskam Baking Co. —  HPS has proven critical in fulfilling the company’s role as a dedicated contract manufacturer. “But in talking to our customers, we found out that’s what they wanted.” As evidenced by the new product launches, it’s been a great success. This allows your employees to actively contribute to progress and even give input themselves. help you have the best experience while on the site.By visiting It has six snack bar facilities, three in Grand Rapids, Mich., one in McComb, Ohio, one in London, Ky., and one  in Michigan City, Ind. All we own is our trust, and our fast and flexible manufacturing assets. Mihlethaler explains to Candy Industry's Bernie Pacyniak the process of cold slab bar forming. It’s a 24-hour scorecard that no one can hide from since objectives and results are color-coded. The process drives “a sense of urgency,” Hughes says. Tools, such as a “play books” which designate the number of people and the kinds of skills needed for a specific line, or a maintenance flexibility matrix, which highlights skill levels of maintenance employees, help determine the right number of people for the task at hand as well as pinpoint the need for cross training.
As Hughes says, despite HFS’s rapid growth — it was ranked as one of the fastest growing companies by As Hughes explains, “We don’t own our own brands, we don’t own formulas. The performance plan template, included in this performance management system, is the senior executive performance plan. In mirror plants, we send employees to the lead plants to train them there and take those best practices to implement at their sites. A good performance management system will help you provide your employees with ongoing updates on their performance and offer opportunities for recognition and feedback. Supervisors and managers, working in conjunction with line operators, track output on a whiteboard. “Take safety, for example,” he says. “When the company was formed in 2009, we didn’t have an R&D department, Hughes says. “It’s all about transparency,” says Dwayne Hughes, HFS’s senior vice president of supply chain. Rather, it’s meant to be a problem-solving tool. Oats and rice are mixed and then fed into a dryer for three minutes at 75º to 80º F. Robert Nichols, director of sanitation, demonstrates the essence of 5-S (sort, set, shine, standardize and systemize), which is in place throughout all of HFS plants.