PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 18
PLANT PROFILE
that growth would have been old growth with our old
processes," Ruffolo explains. "We wanted new growth
in the product areas that we are now targeting."
Private equity groups often acquire a business, target investments in that company to produce quick
growth and get out in a year or two. Granite Bridge
Partners has been patient, Ruffolo says. "It takes work
to be on the leading edge of the humanization trend
providing our customers with a wider variety of meat
and protein choices. Across the board we restaged all
the formulations and the processing parameters. It required starting over in many instances and took a lot
of hard work."
After Granite Bridge Partners put the current management team in place, the workforce of more than 100
employees transitioned from largely temporary to mostly
fulltime permanent positions. "Transitioning from a primarily temporary workforce environment to fulltime was
a huge step forward for us from a quality and execution
standpoint because we now have trained people who work
well together and know what is expected of them," Ruffolo
says. "I'm a big believer in people being able to voice their
opinion based on what they are seeing, or their point of
view based on the data they have. If you're a temporary
employee, you might not have the contextual understanding of what that moment means or anything to compare it
to. We strive for an environment where we listen to each
other and value each other's insights."
This focus on improvement has resulted in new thinking around OEE. The company's processes have changed
almost completely from start to finish.
Batch benefits
In the company's main building - the largest of the
three at 80,000 sq. ft. - the process starts with the incoming raw materials. Then 600- to 800-lb. batches are
prepped to go into the ovens. Once the batch is cooled,
it's tested by the quality department before it's cleared for
cutting and packaging. The company's original building next door contains a second, identical processing
line and more ovens. From this building, batches are
processed, cooked and tested, then brought to the main
building for packaging.
With more than 300 SKUs, a non-continuous batch
system works well for Phelps. "We can run dozens of
batches per day and, with smaller batch sizes compared
to other processors, we can service a lot more SKUs per
day," Ruffolo says. "There is inefficiency in a batch process but for us batching is effective and helps us meet
what our customers need."
Top: Quality manager Maria Fessler tests samples for moisture.
Bottom: A bucket conveyor carries product to packaging.
18
PET FOOD PROCESSING | June 2019 | www.petfoodprocessing.net
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PET Food Processing - June 2019
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of PET Food Processing - June 2019
PET Food Processing - June 2019
CONTENTS
OFF THE LEASH - FEAR FREE
TRENDS - IN THE HOUSE
PLANT PROFILE - THE MEAT OF THE METRICS
FOOD SAFETY - VERIFIED ACCOUNTABILITY
INGREDIENTS - DEFINING CHELATION AND ENCAPSULATION
FORMULATION - FULL DISCLOSURE
EQUIPMENT - EXTRUSION INNOVATION
ON THE MOVE
OPERATIONS - CONTROL ISSUES
PACKAGING - MEDLEY OF MEALS
BEST IN SHOW
PATENTS TO PONDER
EVENTS
SIT, STAY, READ
AD INDEX
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - PET Food Processing - June 2019
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - PET Food Processing - June 2019
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 2
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 3
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 4
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - CONTENTS
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - OFF THE LEASH - FEAR FREE
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 7
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 8
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - TRENDS - IN THE HOUSE
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 10
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 11
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 12
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 13
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - PLANT PROFILE - THE MEAT OF THE METRICS
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 15
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 16
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 17
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 18
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 19
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 20
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 21
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 22
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 23
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 24
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - FOOD SAFETY - VERIFIED ACCOUNTABILITY
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 26
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 27
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 28
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - INGREDIENTS - DEFINING CHELATION AND ENCAPSULATION
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 30
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 31
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 32
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 33
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 34
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - FORMULATION - FULL DISCLOSURE
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 36
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 37
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 38
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 39
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 40
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - EQUIPMENT - EXTRUSION INNOVATION
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 42
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 43
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 44
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 45
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 46
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 47
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 48
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - ON THE MOVE
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 50
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 51
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 52
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 53
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 54
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - OPERATIONS - CONTROL ISSUES
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 56
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 57
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 58
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 59
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 60
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - PACKAGING - MEDLEY OF MEALS
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 62
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 63
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 64
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 65
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 66
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 67
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - BEST IN SHOW
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 69
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - PATENTS TO PONDER
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 71
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - EVENTS
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - SIT, STAY, READ
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - AD INDEX
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 75
PET Food Processing - June 2019 - 76
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