02-03-2009
The large food companies place time consumption under the microscope
Major Danish food exporters, such as Danish Crown and Arla, are investing in time management systems while establishing themselves in Europe. The constant pressure on efficiency creates a requirement to be able to benchmark and follow up on key figures across all production sites. This in turn has created expansion opportunities for the Danish company Mark Information.
When Danish Crown started supplying pre-packaged meat to the retail trade from its newest factory in Sweden in February, it was done with a deep insight into the costs for every single cut. The Danish abattoir company is expanding on the Swedish market, both by virtue of its own factories and acquisitions. This expansion is underpinned by an IT strategy which is based on standard solutions that make it possible to collect and compare data on productivity and profitability across all production locations, home and abroad.
It has opened up a valuable door to foreign markets for Mark Information, who specialise in data and time management systems. The company has been collecting data for Danish Crown since 1995 and, today, their standard system, ProMark, is used at all abattoirs in Denmark, amounting to 10,000 users, and also in the factories in Germany and now also in Sweden.
- For competitive reasons we need to focus on costs intensively and we are constantly optimising utilisation of our raw products. We measure on two central key figures, wages and yield i.e. our ability to cut and trim meat optimally. These two key figures will be benchmarked across all departments and countries down to the very last cut. If a specific cut is not to specification at a certain location we are prepared to analyse the problem to correct any errors and improve profitability. "The very essence of being a global player is that you have a data basis that can underpin your decision-making processes and enable you to act" says Elo Høgh Bromer, IT Manager with Danish Crown.
Arla is also expanding its use of time management systems beyond Denmark's borders. Arla is one of the food companies with the longest experience of time collection, both in terms of shift changes and job changes.
- We collect the data to keep a close financial eye on what it costs to manufacture an individual product. When you have production plants in many different locations it is crucial to have a detailed insight into the cost structures, so you can set the right price. We have just invested in ProMark for 14 plants in Sweden, so we have a uniform solution with a comparable data basis, says Jan Dorph Petersen, Department Manager in Arla.
Besides Arla and Danish Crown, Tulip Food Company and Lantmännen (Danpo, Cerealia, Kronfågel and Doggy) also use time management. Common to all companies is they have chosen ProMark from Mark Information.
- We have put wind in the sails of the food industry, and are branching into several markets as our Danish customers are establishing themselves abroad. One of our strongest cards is that we are SAP certified and consequently have the interface for SAP customers ready and waiting, but apart from that, there are not really that many companies who can handle time registration on an international scale. You need to know all the legislation and rules and you must be able to handle them in a standardised solution. There are very few who can. We have many competitors in the individual market, but internationally we enjoy a special position and we are reaping the benefits of that now when so many companies are becoming global businesses, says Steffen Meyer, CEO of Mark Information.
