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How long have you worked at
Warburtons?
I joined Warburtons in October 1980 and worked at the Shaw
bakery in the role of Technical Manager. In 1996 there was a great opportunity
to move to Warburtons biggest bakery at Bolton. The challenge of three bread plants
was irresistible! What do you enjoy most about your job? Quality
and freshness are reinforced through everything we do, from raw material selection
through to point of sale. Producing good quality bread is my passion and supplying
the Consumer with a product that is ‘best in class’ is our ultimate goal. New
Product Development is also an important and challenging aspect of the technical
function. We get great satisfaction from successful product launches. What
key skills are required to do your job? You need to be product focused
with an eye for detail. Problem solving and analytical skills also come in handy
to identify and resolve product and process issues. A hands-on approach is a must
as is the ability to put theory into practice. What is most important is having
passion for producing high quality products. What does quality
and freshness mean to you and your team? The Warburtons brand has gone
from strength to strength over the years and the desire to be 'best in class'
has remained top on the agenda, I share those views wholeheartedly. Quality
and freshness are fundamental to our team. People, product and process are three
vital elements to achieving the quality and freshness standards we set ourselves. People
play a key role in the quality and freshness philosophy. Everyone has a part to
play in the process. Our team understands the process very well. We all have quality
training and everyone has good quality awareness. Our team also participates in
daily product reviews and are trained in product assessment. One of the first
things we do every day is look at the samples of products from the bakery. We
drive quality improvements continuously, identify potential improvements and optimise
raw material performance by process change, a reflection of a never satisfied
approach! We always strive for year-on-year improvement in our product quality
and healthy competition is encouraged between our sister bakeries with the annual
Derek Warburton trophy. The Trophy encompasses all aspects of quality from product
and packaging quality to hygiene standards. Continuous improvement
is a key factor in our success. Production schedules are optimised in order to
ensure that products are at their freshest when they leave the bakery. Product
freshness is tracked to point of sale and softness over shelf life is monitored
regularly. Our consumers are important to us and therefore we learn from them
and incorporate their feedback into what we do. Our business plans are built around
areas for improvement to deliver the best for our consumers. How
do you learn all about quality and freshness and keep up to date with new developments? We
have monthly quality action groups with our Bakery and Centre technical teams.
This enables us to communicate with the broader team. It is an opportunity to
discuss future changes and quality improvements to our process and products. It
also ensures we maintain a consistent approach to our products, which is vital.
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