Gretchens Shoebox - Essay Example

The analysis of Gretchen’s Shoebox plant tour focuses on three different areas, to wit: safety, productivity, as well as plant and facility. The decision to focus on these areas is rationalized as these factors are deemed the most relevant. As a company, there is a need to increase awareness of employees’ safety because of the machines used in the company’s operations.  Likewise, production is also one of the most important areas to focus on especially since Gretchen’s is a food company that takes pride in providing the best quality food for the target customers. Finally, plant and facility were evaluated because the building or plant itself and the equipment and machines play an instrumental part in everyday productions.

Safety

While on a plant tour, it could be observed that Gretchen manifests genuine care for the employee’s safety. A few first aid kit boxes were strategically located and some fire extinguishers in every room are positioned in easy-to-reach places.

As part of the safety regulations, company policies encourage every employee to undergo the proper training on how to handle the machines to be used. Concurrently, employees receive proper information on the product itself to enhance awareness of the best quality of the foods provided to the customers. Security and theft protection is definitely entrenched for both the employees and the facility, especially for the employees working at night. The company is equipped with restricted entry and security cameras around the facility. Each different door is color coded so that the employees will avoid bumping onto one another and different rooms are appropriately labeled. Diverse workstations in the facility have personnel donning respective uniforms: such as white coats for those who handled the food or prepping the raw materials.  The pathways are clear so that employees can move freely without cramping or bumping onto shelves and other office equipment.

Productivity

Gretchen’s most important production priorities are safety, timely, and quality of foods. Productivity is important for Gretchen’s because as a company dealing with food, standards and legislations are passed to ensure that the food is kept fresh every single day, with incoming fresh raw materials every morning. Based on the finished products seen, it is eminent that the best quality of raw materials went into the product, as well as ensured the exemplary state of which the products went through specific processes in the production line. Raw materials are sanitized before getting them into the production room to conform to standards of health and sanitation. Every unit of raw materials is inventoried in terms of expiry dates, and the date that they come into the facility so that monitoring is easily implemented as needed.  The company encourages open communication along diverse levels of the organizational hierarchy to facilitate the smooth flow of production and to address problems that need to be resolved at the soonest possible time.

Gretchen’s production flows are separated into different batches because of the different customers they have. During the night shift, batches are made specifically for Starbucks, where customers’ orders were sourced from their website or phone. The rationale for this is for easy monitoring and to eliminate mix up.

Making food for big companies in hundreds of orders can be challenging.  Dealing with fresh foods can be challenging, especially the ones that are made on the same day. One of Gretchen’s bottlenecks is prepping the chicken for private customers. There were restrictions for foods earmarked for Starbucks, where pre-cooked chicken is purchased due to FDA regulations. Finally, the company acknowledged the need to be aware of different allergens where Gretchen’s designed production flow so that the most common allergens are made last to avoid contamination.

Plant and Facility

Gretchen’s recently moved to the current location three years ago where the plant is strategically situated, especially in situations when deliveries for service lunch boxes are scheduled. The strategic location provides the competitive advantage of reaching their biggest customers easily and fast. The facility itself is secured with security cameras and restricted entry codes.  The company realized its importance, especially when employees are working 24 hours in the facility. The facility itself is definitely taken care of, every part of the production room is immaculately clean and the garbage and chemicals are separated far away from the products. Gretchen’s production flow has been evaluated to decrease production time. The production flow is easy to follow and definitely increases the mobility of employees. The signs and labeling on different doors and storage rooms for different customers (e.g.Starbucks) make it easier for their employees. With their employees’ safety as a priority, every employee working in the facility is expected to check the equipment prior to use for safety purposes. The standard has been part of the training and to adhere to company policies. A maintenance manager is required to be on-site, in case one of the machines breaks down. On top of that, equipments are checked every week to ensure that these are in the best condition. After each production run, each piece of equipment is rigorously checked and cleaned.

Conclusion

The plant tour of Gretchen’s Shoebox has been an enlightening experience given the wealth of information on three crucial areas identified: safety, productivity, as well as plant and facility. From the exemplary practices and applications manifested by the company, it is no wonder that success has apparently been attained, maintained, and sustained. With the commitment of management to ensure that employees, customers, and various stakeholders of the company are satisfied through focusing on the identified areas, other organizations could learn from their experience and work towards strengthening respective competitive advantages through satisfying diverse stakeholders, both in the short term and in the long run.