In hardly any other industry than in the food industry do companies have to master a greater balancing act between absolutely stable processes and the pressure of short-cycle innovations. In the future, Staufen AG and the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL) will cooperate as partners to ensure companies’ viability for the future by combining scientific and methodological know-how with in-depth practical knowledge.
The production of food depends on perfectly controlled processes. Deviations, faults and errors not only cause massive losses of material, but at the worst, they also affect the health of consumers. In addition to high costs, a company’s good reputation – and thus sometimes its livelihood – is always at stake.
Moreover, the increasing demand for customization and “new foods” is steadily intensifying the pressure for innovation from food producers. New products have to be brought to the market in shorter cycles with simultaneously decreasing lot and packaging sizes. To master this complexity, companies must be excellently positioned along the entire value creation chain, starting with product development.
However, the food industry has long struggled to find the specialists, who in the end often make all the difference. Companies are not able to win over sought-after employees with financial incentives alone. A modern corporate and management culture is just as important.
Strategic triad and a powerful team
The strategic partnership between Staufen AG and the German Institute of Food Technologies addresses these challenges with a three-part concept and a powerful team. The strategic triad consists of:
- Process excellence:
From purchasing to production and customers – Lean Management methods systematically increase value creation and reduce waste and material losses. - Technology excellence:
Optimizing manufacturing processes in the food industry inevitably affects the areas of microbiology, food physics, food chemistry and food technology.
New products and manufacturing processes must be developed and prepared for series production. Real innovations also require fundamental research. - Leadership excellence:
It is executives’ task to ensure sustainability in the introduction of new processes and technologies through “process confirmation”. Modern and effective leadership is the basic requirement for promoting the best minds.
The Food & Beverage Team from Staufen AG is made up of “old hands” from the food industry, who have experience in introducing Lean Management and Leadership Excellence and therefore know what is important in practice.
With 170 experts, the German Institute of Food Technologies is one of the most renowned research institutes in product and process development as well as in analytics.
“Working together will increase the quality of our projects and ultimately add value for our customers and partners.”
Clemens Hollah, Head of Chairman’s Office, DIL Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik e.V.
“By combining process leadership and technology excellence, together with the DIL, we are able to serve customer projects with a holistic approach.”
Axel Davila Lage, Principal, STAUFEN.AG
