It is estimated that 20% of all meat produced worldwide is lost or wasted, with much of it being lost inside the factory before any product reaches the shelves.
From isolated fixes to a shared operating model
For a multi-site manufacturer operating 15 plants, 2,500 employees, and sales in 66 countries, closing that gap meant more than solving isolated problems.
Building a lean transformation that could unify every site under one system, while preserving what already worked at each plant, became the real challenge.
Site by site, the company rolled out 5S, standardization, value stream analysis, tiered daily meetings, and a company-wide improvement ideas system, supported by Kaizen Institute.
What a unified system delivered
The program monetized €25 million in savings, absorbed a 30% production surge without disruption, and generated over 1,100 improvement ideas from the workforce.