How it works
The 10 macro-processes listed above can be broken down into several components to obtain a better idea of what they stand for:
- Production planning and demand forecasting
- Team work with Sales Department
- Raw materials and ingredients supply
- MRP (materials requirement planning)
- Negotiations with suppliers (minimum order quantity, prices per lb or Kg, bulk or discrete amount deliveries, lead times based on bakery’s needs, specifications)
- Periodic purchasing (purchase orders, communication with suppliers)
- Stock / inventory management (FIFO rotation, minimum stock according to internal policies, material’s shelf life, and storage space available in racks)
- Material receiving standards and procedures according to specifications established by R&D and QA
- Production management (core activity within internal supply chain)
- Materials and time efficiency (changeover time, total production time, downtimes due to equipment failures)
- Product yield based on line speed and planned batches
- Process waste
- Product coding (manufacturing date, best before date, traceability coding)
- Finished product delivery to Logistics Department
- Engineering and maintenance
- Operational assets management
- Preventive maintenance
- Corrective maintenance (urgent mechanical repairs, parts replacement, general interventions on essential production equipment to avoid line stoppages)
- Equipment and parts purchasing
- Participation in bakery engineering projects (new oven, new mixer, equipment overhauling, etc.)
- Plant personnel management
- Payroll
- People training and education (bakery technology, handling of fire extinguishing devices, accident prevention, food safety and good manufacturing practices)
- Leaders development
- Promotion processes
- Continuous improvement
- Implementation of lean manufacturing tools at plant level (5S’s, Six Sigma methodology, Total Productive Maintenance)
- Participation in plant meetings to improve any condition in the production process (material- or equipment-related) that may impact productivity positively
- Application of statistical tools to current processes in order to find improvement opportunities and take actions based on findings
- Quality assurance
- Specifications for raw materials (wheat flour, yeast, sugar, etc.)
- Specifications for finished products (bread, buns, cakes, etc.)
- Specifications for packaging materials (boxes, bags, etc.)
- Lab analysis (moisture content, pH, water activity, nutrient composition, colorimetry, rheological assessment of doughs and batters)
- Documentation, implementation and control of food safety management systems)
- Participation in HACCP Team meetings
- Responsible for internal and external (certification) audits on HACCP, GMPs, FSMA
- Plant sanitation
- Planning and execution of cleaning and sanitation activities on food and non-food contact surfaces (walls, floor, processing equipment, conveyor bands, etc.)
- Pest management (indoor and outdoor environments)
- Implementation and control of food safety management systems)
- Participation in HACCP Team meetings
- Plant microeconomics
- Overall plant operation reports (daily, weekly and monthly)
- Financial reports for top management
- Manufacturing costs
- Financial impact of waste
- Plant performance review
- Support and strategic areas (R&D, bakery formulations)
- Product development
- Bakery formulations development and approval
- Ingredient technologies for sugar and fat reduction
- Clean label solutions for chemical dough conditioners replacement
- Testing of enzymes following standard procedures and execution of bake tests
Application
Proper bakery management becomes critical when operations become more complex as sales increase. As a bakery scales up, it needs more tools to better control costs, optimize equipment usage, obtain better prices due to higher volumes, etc.
When it is time to make a big change, bakery managers often hire consultants to prepare the necessary steps and establish the required macro-processes (such as those listed above) that enable the bakery to reach a new level of control over plant operations.
As bakery operations increase in complexity and size, a key thing is to keep things simple and practical.