Food manufacturers could treble their productivity with no new resources by applying lean manufacturing tools, according to Professor Peter Hines, partner at lean consultancy SA Partners.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has commissioned an 18-month, £200,000 research project to get a better idea of how extensively lean manufacturing techniques have been adopted by companies in the food supply chain.
Global competition, rising prices, skills shortages and customer demand for lower costs are all key challenges facing food manufacturers in 2007. The...