Automation
“Nico Sluis Vleeswaren has always been a pioneer in the automation of its quality management system,” says Rick Veldkamp, Business Unit Manager at Normec Foodcare Online. “This makes the company a true exception in the industry. About 90 percent of food companies still carry out mandatory record-keeping—such as inspections—on paper. Employees enter their findings into Excel, and reports are also created manually.”
“About 90 percent of food companies still carry out mandatory record-keeping, such as inspections, on paper. Employees enter their findings into Excel, and reports are also created manually.”
— Normec, Foodcare Online
Integrations
In late 2015, Nico Sluis Vleeswaren decided to switch to Normec Foodcare Online’s online QA system. “We chose Normec Foodcare Online because this system uses state-of-the-art technology,” says Director Nico Sluis. “Normec Foodcare Online integrates well with our customers’ data pool systems, such as PS in foodservice. The internal integrations are also strong, for example between production and quality assurance. We don’t have to transfer or copy any data. Everything integrates seamlessly. The system quickly provides us with the reports we need—for example, by process, by department, by product group, or by person.”
“Normec Foodcare Online integrates well with our customers’ data pool systems, such as PS in foodservice.”
— Nico Sluis, Meat Products, Normec Foodcare Online
User-friendly
Nico Sluis Vleeswaren will be using virtually all of the application’s modules, including e-learning, inspections, the quality manual, and specifications. The company began using the inspection module in January. “The implementation went very quickly,” says Sluis. “The entire inspection system was up and running within a day. The system is user-friendly. For example, we can easily add items to our inspection rounds. We don’t need a system administrator for that.” Nico Sluis Vleeswaren conducts its inspection rounds using a tablet. This ensures that the data is entered into the system correctly right away. A single central action list is displayed on a dashboard. This gives the company an overview of the current status at a glance.
“The entire inspection system was up and running within a day.”
— Nico Sluis Vleeswaren, Normec Foodcare Online
Small business
Nico Sluis Meat Products will also be implementing the other modules in the near future. “I think it’s important to work with a single, uniform system,” says Sluis. “We’re rolling it out step by step.” Nico Sluis Vleeswaren is a relatively small business with about 25 employees. Still, Sluis certainly doesn’t consider such a comprehensive automation system an unnecessary luxury. “With a good automation system, you prevent employees from spending days manually entering data or copying it from one file to another. The online QA software isn’t expensive. We’ll recoup the cost of the system quickly. Moreover, an automation system reduces the risk of errors. We operate our business according to the very highest standards. For example, we’re BRC-certified at the AA level. Normec Foodcare Online helps us maintain this high standard.”
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