Special Issue Article Open Access

Improving product quality, food safety, and performance through quality behaviors at the shopfloor level

Abstract

Have you heard of the butterfly effect? It is a metaphor for a fundamental phenomenon of sensitivity in weather forecasts. It says that the flapping of a butterfly's wings in Brazil can provoke a tornado in Texas. Of course, this is an image and essentially, what this expression translates is that if a single individual can have this effect on a system, then so are all the actions of all other individuals. In our context, as a dairy transformer, Agropur Cooperative leveraged the infinite power of thousands of employees in manufacturing operations to deliver quality products. Key quality behaviors and mindset were promoted through an impactful awareness campaign, rolled out gradually for greater assimilation. The goal was simple, remind every frontline employee in the organization, who are the ones generating value on a daily basis, that simple routine actions when well done, can have a significant positive impact on product quality, safety and performance. This is the Quality effect, and it pays off.

Michèle Théberge
BSc in Microbiology at the University of Montreal and a MSc in Industrial Microbiology at Armand-Frappier Institute, Canada

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