Poka > Case Studies > Bel Group's Successful Equipment and Facilities Startup with Poka

Bel Group's Successful Equipment and Facilities Startup with Poka

Technology Category

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Education
Equipment & Machinery

Applicable Functions

Facility Management
Procurement

Use Cases

Inventory Management
Virtual Training

Services

Testing & Certification
Training

About The Customer

Bel Group is a world-leading French food manufacturer specializing in dairy products and healthy foods. Their portfolio includes well-known brands such as the Laughing Cow, Babybel, Boursin, and many more, produced across 29 sites and distributed in over 120 countries. In 2005, they established offices in Montreal to oversee Canadian operations. In 2018, they started a project to open a plant in Sorel, Quebec, to manufacture their Mini Babybel line of cheeses. A year and a half later, in December 2019, they did their first cheese trial, and in July 2020, commercial production began.

The Challenge

Bel Group, a leading French food manufacturer, faced several challenges when opening a new plant in Sorel, Quebec, to manufacture their Mini Babybel line of cheeses. The challenges included extracting internal equipment expertise, importing and installing new equipment, building factory knowledge and culture from scratch due to a lack of specialized workforce, and implementing all processes and standards at once while meeting production targets. The company also had to onboard 170 employees in a short period to support a full production schedule. They needed a solution that would facilitate their training process, enable collaboration between sites, ensure access to internal expertise from stakeholders globally, and support operational efficiency.

The Solution

Bel Group chose Poka, a digital platform, to address their challenges. Poka was referred to the management team by one of their partner organizations in Quebec City. The platform was seen as a potential tool to facilitate the training process, enable collaboration between sites, and ensure access to internal expertise from stakeholders around the globe. Poka’s 'calls for help' feature was particularly appealing as it made issues management much easier and quicker. The platform was rolled out in two months, and training began in March 2020. By October 2021, Bel achieved their FSSC 22000 quality certification, which was needed for food products to be permitted for resale.

Operational Impact

The adoption of Poka has led to significant operational benefits for Bel Group. The platform has facilitated the training process, enabling the company to onboard 170 employees in a short period. It has also enhanced collaboration between sites and ensured access to internal expertise from stakeholders globally. The 'calls for help' feature has made issues management much easier and quicker, contributing to operational efficiency. The platform has become an integral part of the employees' workflow, with high engagement and usage rates. The company has also been able to achieve their FSSC 22000 quality certification, which was needed for food products to be permitted for resale.

Quantitative Benefit

Average employee engagement rate on Poka is 83%, above the initial target of 80%.
Staff make 123 calls for help per month, with 115 being closed, equaling a 94% close rate.
The monthly work instruction view rate is 81%, and in more established teams with less turnover, this number shoots up to over 90%.