Irish Dog Foods Lean Business Case Study

Irish Dog Foods specialise in the production of quality pet food and treats for both dogs and cats and are based on Naas, county Kildare. The company was taken over by the Queally Group in 2002 and has since expanded its operations across four separate sites between Ireland and the UK. With annual turnover of €55M, the company employs 170 people. The challenge was to look at how productivity in the high-volume packing hall could be improved – by applying Lean principles and the PDCA problem-solving methodology.

HOW WE IMPLEMENTED BETTER

As a starting point, Business Process Improvement Training was provided to all employees in the area. Including management and supervisors, this focused on Lean principles.

Visual management was implemented in the area and Standard Work was reviewed to understand and improve changeovers on the automated line.

To better align the availability of material and resources, changes were made in the production planning process.

In addition, we:

Implemented daily PIT meetings to openly discuss and resolve issues.
Introduced a forum to resolve more complex issues arising from the daily PIT meetings.
Developed a redesign and layout of the packing hall to improve product flow, support employee standard work and enhance H&S.

WHAT GOT BETTER?

The productivity of the packing operation was increased by 10%.
Formal Problem Solving through teamwork was achieved.
Significant improvement and cost savings have been achieved through Continuous Improvement teamwork projects.
The production planning process supports the business’ daily requirements.

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