Cutting intake rejection rate by 50%

Bidvest Foodservice selected Muddy Boots Software to implement Greenlight Quality Management at its two Swithenbank fresh and fine food centres, to improve supplier performance, reduce waste and cut costs. One year on and the company has more than halved its intake rejection rate at these centres. 

Swithenbank fresh and fine foods, part of Bidvest Foodservice, a leading foodservice company in the UK, identified a requirement within the business to automate the work of the Product Quality Inspection (PQI) team and improve supplier management processes and relationships. The objective was to electronically record the receipt of goods arriving into its Swithenbank centres and, through detailed specifications, grade the quality of a product through the use of a traffic light system. 

Subsequently, in 2011, the company selected Greenlight Quality Management (QM) from Muddy Boots Software, leaders in quality assurance solutions for sustainable food and farming, to embrace mobile working and capture data on the go. 

The initiative has been pivotal in improving productivity and workflow across the company’s supply chain and delivering produce of a consistently high standard. As a result, Swithenbank has more than halved the intake rejection rate on its fresh produce lines that are quality checked using Muddy Boots’ Greenlight Quality Management software. 

When issues do arise, an automatic alert is sent to the supplier, allowing them to arrange collection or replace their stock at the point of rejection. Not only does this process save time and money for the supplier, but it also dramatically improves supplier / PQI relationships through the use of a standardised quality control process. 

The Greenlight QM technology ensures consistency in the measurement of product quality attributes. The paperless smart mobile technology software captures and processes information at the point of input, delivering clear, concise and immediate results. 

Hilary Owen, QA Executive from Bidvest Foodservice discusses the new contract with Muddy Boots Software “Product quality is vital for our customers and a major focus within our business. The Greenlight Quality Management software was implemented to manage the quality and consistency of our fresh produce, reduce waste and establish a unified understanding of our QM standards amongst all of our suppliers. 

“Members of staff are now able to use a robust handheld device, which is compatible with tough warehouse conditions, to automatically capture data, without the need to duplicate information. This has dramatically reduced the time we spend on reporting and has significantly improved the availability of information for the business”