"Internal communication between the purchasing department and quality management has improved significantly, as everyone can now access the same up-to-date information via the (Agriplace) platform. Agriplace provides us with safety and confidence, especially when preparing for audits, and allows our teams more time to focus on strategic tasks. Overall, Agriplace has been a real breakthrough for Windau!”
– Arlene Breckenkamp, Quality Management, Windau
About Windau
Since 1976, Windau, based in Germany, has aimed to produce the best sausages—not just with meat, but also without! Windau has established a reputation as a manufacturer of high-quality sausage products, combining the finest ingredients with traditional craftsmanship. Their product range includes high-quality sausage products and ham specialities, as well as innovative and meat-free alternatives, serving numerous customers who demand high standards of quality and sustainability.
Inefficient supplier document management due to time-consuming manual processes
Windau faced the challenge of managing an increasingly complex supplier document management system. Before the introduction of Agriplace, the management of documents such as specifications, declarations of conformity, certificates (e.g., ITW, BeterLeven, Bio, Halal), and GMO evidence was largely manual. Excel spreadsheets were created for suppliers and products like meat, casings, or spices were used to manage and track document workflows. Additionally, an Excel function was set up to visually signal when a document was expiring within the next 15 or 30 days. Based on this, suppliers were contacted by email to request updated documents.
However, this process was extremely time-consuming and often led to numerous issues including:
Work Overload: Multiple suppliers had to be contacted simultaneously, resulting in a flood of emails. The manual checking and filing of documents regularly consumed a significant portion of the workday.
Loss of Overview: Despite the established systems, important deadlines sometimes went unnoticed. Particularly after weekends or intense workdays, it was only later realized that some documents had already expired.
Multiple Requests: Suppliers often did not respond immediately to inquiries, necessitating the resending of emails by different departments. This repeated manual process led to frustration and inefficiency.
Intransparent Filing: Storing and locating documents in various folders—sorted by suppliers, document types, and years—made it difficult to find important information quickly.
One central platform for automated document management and integration with external databases
To address these challenges, Windau decided to implement Agriplace, a digital platform for managing supplier documents. The decision was based on the following advantages:
Automated Document Requests: Agriplace automatically handles the requesting and tracking of documents. Instead of manually sending emails, the platform manages deadlines and ensures documents are updated on time.
Central Platform and Integration with External Databases: All documents are now stored in one central location. This allows purchasing and quality management employees to quickly and easily access all important documents. Additionally, Windau utilises the database connections to external databases like TRACES (EU-Bio), BRCGS, and QS to access relevant certifications and information automatically. This linkage simplifies the updating and validation of supplier data and significantly reduces manual effort.
Efficiency Increase: By automating requests and centralising storage, time-consuming manual processes have been eliminated. The team can now focus on more important tasks, as managing supplier documents takes less time.
Cross-Product and Article Group Management: Agriplace is used at Windau for various product and article groups, including:
Meat Products: For meat suppliers, all relevant documents such as specifications and certificates are collected and managed.
Casings and Packaging Materials: Separate categories exist for managing declarations of conformity of other certificates of conformity and material specifications for this specific article group.
Spices and Additives: All documents for these product groups are also centrally collected, significantly enhancing the purchasing process.
Technical Articles: In the future, Windau plans to manage documents like machine specifications and technical data sheets for production aids via the platform.
Each of these product groups is managed in collaboration between the purchasing, quality management, and technical departments to ensure that the right documents are accessible and up to date for each department.
Internal Transparency: Internal communication between purchasing and quality management has improved significantly. All relevant departments can access the same, up-to-date data. For example, purchasing can quickly check whether the necessary specifications for an order are available without needing to ask the quality management department.
Reducing manual work, improving supplier data management and becoming always audit-ready
Since the introduction of Agriplace, Windau has seen a significant improvement in the efficiency of document management. The central database and automated document requests have led to a considerable reduction in workload and better oversight. Important documents like specifications, declarations of conformity, and certificates are now managed systematically and on time.
Windau is always up to date when there are changes to suppliers or relevant certifications through the connection to external databases such as BRCGS and QS. For example, through the BRCGS connection, Windau was immediately informed when a key meat supplier changed its name and GLN number—a piece of information that might have been overlooked before.
Moreover, the team feels better prepared for upcoming audits. With centralised management and a clear dashboard, all necessary documents can be quickly accessed in case of an audit inspection. This not only gives the company confidence but also saves valuable time in preparing for and conducting audits.
Seamless collaboration among the purchasing, quality management, and technical departments
With the introduction of Agriplace, Windau has taken an important step towards digitalisation and increased efficiency. The management of supplier documents is now not only simpler and faster but also safer and more transparent. Thanks to the database connections to EU-Bio, BRCGS, and QS, relevant information about suppliers and certifications is automatically updated, significantly reducing the effort for manual checks.
The benefits of Agriplace are utilised across various departments at Windau, from purchasing to quality management to the technical departments. This means that all important documents for product groups such as meat, casings, spices, packaging materials, and technical aids are now managed centrally and accessible to all relevant departments. This facilitates seamless collaboration and helps the company prepare more efficiently for audits and other quality checks.
Feedback from the team and suppliers has been overwhelmingly positive. The system not only saves time and reduces the complexity of document management but also improves communication between departments and increases transparency throughout the process. Windau plans to further expand the use of Agriplace in the future to digitalize even more processes and optimize collaboration between various business areas.
Interested to learn how Agriplace can help you centralise supplier data collection and management? Reach out to us here: https://www.agriplace.com/contact
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