- Contributed
Best Dressed Chicken executives, from left, Leon Headley, Christopher Levy and Major Neil Lewis, in discussion following the recent Jamaica Broilers annual general meeting in Kingston.Few corporations in Jamaica can boast that their workers are so efficient that there is nothing to be gained from becoming fully automated. This, according to Best Dressed Chicken Processing plant manager, Major Neil Lewis, is the situation that now obtains at that Jamaica Broilers Group Processing Plant.
Major Lewis said that one of the first decisions the Group's management faced in its bid to become internationally competitive was whether to automate the front-end operations of the Best Dressed Chicken Processing Plant. "At the time, we found the cost prohibitive, even through we knew that the pay-back would have been worth it. Now, even though we could afford to automate, the pay-back would no longer be there because of the increased efficiencies and productive gains at the plant," Major Lewis said.
The gains, since the plant re-engineered its operations in late 1998, have indeed been impressive. So significant were the gains at the front end of the plant that it propelled the Group from the lower one-third of the (international) AGRISTAT ranking to the number one position in some instances, and the top five in all.
Dramatic increases were also achieved in the area of maintenance, with the plant shooting to the top in line-speed efficiency - again from the bottom third. In fact, in every area of the plant's operations - except the cost of utilities where "only a 25 per cent improvement" was realised - the Group was ranked "above average" by AGRISTAT.
At the time of the re-engineering of the Processing Plant, the Group had hoped to realise a 50 per cent increase in productivity, to be achieved by reducing the number of employees by almost half and still operating two shifts.
The staff cut of just under 50 per cent did take place, but efficiency exceeded expectations to the extent that production quotas could be met by just one shift. "In order to avoid another round of staff cuts so soon after a major redundancy exercise, we decided to work the two shifts on a 'one week on/one week off' basis, so that we would not have to let anyone go," Major Lewis said.
This flexible work pattern on which the plant now operates has provided a direct benefit to workers at the plant. It allows them to schedule their on/off work days to suit their own family situation, once details have been worked out individually with the contractors to ensure that the plant's work-flow is not affected adversely.
Additionally, workers have seen their pay increase by 25 per cent more than their basic wages as a result of an incentive scheme that is based on real productivity gains. Indications are that this productivity will increase further and could probably result in workers earning up to 50 per cent more than their basic pay. Employee morale, measured on a quarterly basis via a 50 per cent sample survey, is high as a result.
But morale has been boosted by more than a heavier pay packet and what they describe in the surveys as better relationships with their peers and a continually improving working environment.
Major Lewis disclosed that a system has been instituted that empowers the workers by allowing them to participate directly in managing work processes in each of the plant's departments. Their participation in what are called Product In-Flow Teams ensures that improvements to work processes can be implemented at any time, without management's intervention.
"This has accelerated the pace of change in the plant and has resulted in immediate productivity improvements - with plant yield up from 75.6 per cent of yield to 79.9 per cent of yield - placing us Number 1 in AGRISTAT," Major Lewis said. In real terms, this 4.3 per cent increase is valued at millions of dollars per year.
Overall, the Best Dressed Chicken Processing Plant's operations are now highly competitive with producers in the United States in terms of cost, quality and variety. "We are able to use 11 people at our plant to do what it takes 17 to do in the U.S.," Major Lewis said.
