SwipeGuide > Case Studies > Golden State Foods: Leveraging Digital Work Instructions for Optimal Performance

Golden State Foods: Leveraging Digital Work Instructions for Optimal Performance

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Education
Equipment & Machinery

Applicable Functions

Maintenance
Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Virtual Training
Visual Quality Detection

Services

Testing & Certification
Training

About The Customer

Golden State Foods (GSF) is one of the largest diversified suppliers to the food service industry, serving approximately 125,000 restaurants in more than 50 countries. The company provides services from 50 locations around the world. GSF is committed to quality, innovation, and customer service. The company faced challenges in standardizing their internal procedures and onboarding processes across their global operations. They also needed to address staffing issues and ensure that their highly trained operators could easily transfer knowledge to others and articulate equipment problems to maintenance colleagues.

The Challenge

Golden State Foods (GSF), one of the largest diversified suppliers to the food service industry, faced a challenge in maintaining consistency and quality across their operations. With approximately 125,000 restaurants in over 50 countries as its customers and services provided from 50 locations worldwide, GSF needed to standardize their internal procedures and onboarding processes. The food industry's emphasis on quality and GSF's core values of innovation and customer service necessitated this standardization. The company also faced staffing issues and needed to ensure that their highly trained operators could easily transfer knowledge to others and articulate equipment problems to maintenance colleagues.

The Solution

GSF embarked on a journey to update their Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to make them as accessible and easy to implement as possible. They chose SwipeGuide as their enablement tool, which provided unparalleled ease of use. GSF provided iPads for operators to access the information they needed on the job. Employees simply needed to scan a QR code to access step-by-step work instructions and SOPs. Using SwipeGuide, GSF documented a variety of SOPs and instructions, from operating machinery to performing office tasks. Having these in one central digital library improved lean manufacturing adoption. The ability to deliver standardized, digital work instructions throughout their production sites ensured that the right work instructions were delivered where and when needed.

Operational Impact

The implementation of SwipeGuide has led to several operational benefits for GSF. The company now has detailed step-by-step knowledge about each process throughout the production environment, delivered to every frontline employee on a handheld device. These standards are designed for clarity and are enhanced by clear visuals of the task at hand. As a result, GSF's frontline employees are performing their work with standardized work instructions, leading to consistent results and fewer errors on the shop floor. The employees are thrilled to have access to standardized work instructions, which makes their job easier and removes any frustration or guesswork about the task at hand. This has led to happier workers, fewer errors, and a high-quality end product. The company has also refined its digital onboarding process, which has helped onboard new employees quickly while still driving efficiency on the shop floor.

Quantitative Benefit

47% reduction in meat forming time
Standardized work instructions across sites, lines, and shifts within GSF's value chain
Quick training and onboarding, helping the company meet its production numbers