Thise Dairy: "Our new quality management system has turned out to be a bit of a Swiss army knife for us."

Challenge
When growth suddenly accelerated and organic products truly gained traction among Danish consumers, the need for new machines and many more employees grew at Thise Dairy. The same was true for quality management. And that was where things were lagging. They did have a quality management system, but it was cumbersome and too complicated to serve as an effective cornerstone for a rapidly developing organization.

“It was a system without templates, so we had to build even the simplest things from scratch. We ran out of steam. We tried several times to continue with it and even received training to integrate it properly, but we were left cross-eyed,” recalls Jakob Würtz Jensen, Quality Manager at Thise Dairy.

There were not many people in production who had access to the system. Only management used it for deviations and product specifications. Even so, things went wrong when some employees began working in a copy while others worked in the original files. The dairy also received remarks on its document management during an ISO 22000 audit.

“The supplier of our system wanted a relatively large sum to customize what we had, so I started looking for something else. We had also grown to a size where we could carry such an investment, even though I knew I would have to convince the CFO when presenting a rather sizeable invoice,” says Jakob Würtz Jensen.

Solution
But it was not only the CFO who needed convincing. Jakob Würtz Jensen himself was skeptical while searching for a new quality management system. When he came across a web-based, modular framework solution from IPW Systems, he invited the dairy’s IT Manager, Henrik Stisen, to join the evaluation.

“I’m always open to trying new things in production, but it was important for me that we made the right decision this time. Maybe because I had struggled so much with the old system. Henrik, however, immediately saw great potential in the software solution, and we quickly confirmed that it was there,” says Jakob Würtz Jensen.

When Thise Dairy implemented its new quality management system, they shut down the old one entirely. Employees wanted a fresh start, and within just 2–3 months the dairy had come a long way. All documentation is now gathered in one place, there are around 30 users, and because the system integrates with their ERP system, the foundation for corrective actions is in place.

He emphasizes that the software provider was good at aligning expectations regarding what the system can and cannot do. He particularly appreciated the latter.

“When you are selling a new system internally, it has been reassuring to know exactly what we purchased. I was very focused on bringing people along rather than imposing something on them — for example by holding small workshops several times. I put it up on the big screen and we went through it at a very practical level, so they could see what the benefits were for them. Also for the finance and sales departments, where the system can create value”

Result
“Our new quality management system has turned out to be a bit of a Swiss army knife for us. When we meet in the management team, I bring deviation reports and trend analyses so we can evaluate and act on the challenges that always arise. Of course, we knew before that there were things that weren’t right — but now we have much clearer insight.”

He continues, “One thing I’m really looking forward to is when we’re ready to add short videos to our instructions. I have high expectations for that, because it can be really difficult to explain: ‘Then you take this little part and lift it up and clean it … and so on.’ That’s incredibly easy to show in a video, and it’s also very easy to upload. Employees already carry mobile phones.”

The new quality management system is not the only result of the significant demand Thise Dairy has experienced over the past 10 years. There is also a strong focus on organizational development, where an external consultant has helped develop shared values and define a common DNA through joint meetings, focus groups, and one-to-one conversations.

At the same time, the dairy is implementing a product flow system, where automatic registration of goods receipt, storage, production, and shipping provides an accurate real-time overview of productivity. And there are many product movements to manage. For raw milk alone, Thise Dairy operates with 13 different types that must be kept separate. Milk is collected from farms in the morning, packaged in cartons in the afternoon, and on store shelves the next morning.

“We have a fairly autonomous culture, where there isn’t far from thought to action. That makes us good at adopting new things, but it has also worn down many quality managers, because it will never be a system that dictates how we work at Thise Dairy. We’d rather be run over by a tractor. So my approach has been to set the structure and the framework for the moving mass. Then people can go full speed within those boundaries,” Jakob Würtz Jensen laughs.

He is pleased that it was possible to find a user-adapted quality management system flexible enough to support his ambition — and one that can be used without having a degree in computer science, as he puts it.

The autonomous, trust-based culture — where employees are involved and relied upon — is reflected in the fact that many have worked at Thise Dairy for many years. Even though screening before hiring is often limited to knowing each other from the local football club.

“There are not many companies that have flourished as much as Thise Dairy has. And it’s not a given that there would even be a dairy here. So everything is quite unique, and we are all aware of that. We are a bit like the stubborn bumblebee that thrives against all odds. As our dairy manager says: ‘This dairy will be the biggest dairy — at least here in town!”