Aunt Bessie’s Recipe To Optimize Packaging

John Hendy

Commercial Director Tryton Foods Ltd

5th Largest Frozen brand and still Growing

23 29 3234 40

48

70

105120 130

149168

020406080100120140160180

1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006

Tryton Foods:The Home of Aunt Bessie’s

• Brand value £168m at RSP• One of the Fastest Growing brands in frozen• Top two selling products

– Baked Yorkshires– Roast Potatoes

• Fastest selling traditional hot dessert– Apple pie

• Penetration 58% of all households• Consumer awareness 96% • Brand Managed through Own Manufacture; Licensing and

Co-packing

Aunt Bessie’s Range

Packaging Optimisation Context

• Brand led packaging designs, often over specified

• Light products, carrying around lots of air.• Packaging specifications broad to allow for

inaccuracies in process capability.• Low cube utilization of vehicles.

=Opportunities To Improve

Project Based Approach to Optimizing.

Reduce– Streamline: Packaging reduction

– Freeloader: Fill every vehicle

Recycle– Basic Separation

Streamline

What packaging can we remove without impacting on the product?

• Tray removal / redesign

• Film re-size / re-specify

• Case resize / re-grade / remove

Freeloader

Maximise the amount of product on each vehicle?

• Filling the Cube.– Maximize the number of cases per pallet– Minimize the headroom in the case– Maximize the case size– Maximise the pallet height / fill

• Maximizing the Cube.– Use double deck trailers where possible if not

weight constrained.

Results from optimisation

• Over £750k/yr of reduced packaging costs

• 400tns/yr less packaging

• 500 000 less road miles travelled to carry the same product.

• 10% less pallet spaces required to store same volume

Clear Financial Rational

OptimizePackaging

ReducedCost

Releases moneyfor Investment

Investment inBrand

IncreasedScale

SalesGrowth

Lots of small projects add up

• Removal of 2” tray• Removal of 7” tray• Redesign of 7” twin pack tray• Reconfiguration of Ready to Bake case layout• Removal of Pancake tray• Re sizing all film specs• Reducing case head room• Changing case board specification• Adding layers to pallets• Reconfiguring pallet layouts to increase cases / layer• Taking air out of bagged product• Negotiating customer specific case sizes and pallet sizes• Load / order planning to maximise double deck trailer utilisation

Right Project Team Essential

• Good leadership

• Board level sponsorship and profile

• Cross functional commitment (esp Marketing)

• Involve supplier experts

• ‘Doers’ not talkers

• Empowerment to make trade offs

• Quick decisions with assumption to change

Re-cycle:Separation of waste streams

Secret Weapon

Separation of waste: Basic’s get results

• Collection bins for each packaging types

• Bins in the right place

• Clear responsibility for removal and organising recycling

• Purpose designed baling and storage areas for packaging waste

• Staff awareness and training

Result

100% of all packaging waste is now recycled

Final Thoughts

• Project activities need to turn into the everyday ways of working

• Progress isn’t free and required investment (Time and Capital)

• Tightening packaging specifications, highlights process variations

• Persistence is essential to get results

Thank You