)
Colruyt Group Fine Food achieves exceptional production figures
20
May
2020
These are challenging times for Colruyt Group Fine Food, because customers’ shopping habits have changed during this Corona period. Compared to the same period last year, the production of cheese, processed meats, salad spreads and rice increased by up to 20 %. "This requires flexible production and also extra people, to whom we are very grateful for their efforts," says Stefan Goethaert, Managing Director of Colruyt Group Fine Food.
The new normal
Stefan: "When the corona measures came into effect, we had no idea what to expect. We didn't know whether to adjust our production for a short or long period of time. There were many unknowns. They still exist today, but increased demand now seems to be the new normal. For example, in the first ten days of May alone we have produced 165,000 more packs of cheese than in the same period last year. As a result, we are monitoring the situation closely and discuss our approach on a daily basis.”
100 extra employees
An additional 100 employees are now working alongside the 1,000 plus employees who were already working in the Fine Food department. When things calm down, these extra people will still be needed. "We can then restructure the work organisation and relieve the pressure on our employees. The technical department is also doing exceptional work. Thanks to them, we were spared major breakdowns and technical problems. Once things quieten down, the team can get to work on properly servicing the machines.”
Flexibility is our trump card
"Our greatest asset is flexibility. Thanks to the dedication and flexibility of our employees, we are able to meet this challenge. When we have to make quick decisions about the way we work, we know we can count on our people. That is the one thing we can be certain of in these uncertain times. This is how we have managed to move mountains together in a very short period of time. I am very grateful to everyone for that. We can also learn lessons from this period for the future: our rapid decision-making and decision-taking ability has been of enormous help in these exceptional circumstances."