McCain Foods, one of the world’s largest manufacturer of frozen French fries, identified more than 100 potential logistical improvements thanks to an employee survey.
The McCain Foods processing plant in Timaru, New Zealand, questioned 20 people from various departments, including management and factory floor workers, about ways the plant could improve logistical efficiency. The result was 113 viable ideas.
Management at the plant said they plan to implement several ideas to reduce energy and water use, therefore saving thousands of dollars per year. The energy efficient measures will also free up energy and water for the local community.
According to supplychaindigital.com, research exercises like this can be greatly beneficial to businesses, with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority quoting that firms can save up to 20% on energy costs with smarter energy use.
Another way to increase supply chain efficiency may be with the use of blockchain. A new report from Chain Business Insights explores how blockchain — or “blocks” that record data points and import them into a ledger for analysis — can be used within the food supply chain to drive efficiency, transparency and trust.
Other companies are also focusing on supply chain efficiency. In April, Walmart formally launched Project Gigaton, an initiative under which the discount retailer will provide an emissions reduction toolkit to a broad network of suppliers, focusing on areas such as manufacturing, materials, and use of products, with the goal of reducing carbon by 1 gigaton by 2030.