Efficient producing at Novidon

Food waste is a significant issue in the food industry. That also applies to Novidon. This international company manufactures starch from potato waste and uses it to make various products, such as raw materials for dog food and noodles, but also for paper and cardboard. TPM Facilitator Eugene van der Linden works on maximizing the efficiency of the production process so nothing is thrown out.

Novidon manufactures new products on the basis of residual waste. How does it work?

"We get the residual flow from potato products, for example, from French fry or chips manufacturers. We mix, refine, and dry until we end up with starch. The filter score and the product quality then determine what we can do with it."

What kind of products do you manufacture?

"We produce native starch and modified starch. Our Nijmegen facility is the only one that is food-proof for human consumption. That means our products may be further processed into noodles, soups, and more. We also produce raw materials for animal feed, paper, cardboard, and we turn modified starch into glue and drilling mud. We really don't throw anything out."

Our Nijmegen facility in Nijmegen is food-proof for human consumption. So, in addition to various raw materials, we also manufacture products that may be processed into noodles, soups, and more. 

Does Covid influence your production process?

"Hardly. Our Nijmegen facility employs 20 people (day work and shift work). It’s not complicated to work remotely in a situation like this. At the office, however, fewer people work at the same time.

The residual waste supply also continues as usual. We now get less waste from the French fry manufacturer but more from the chips producer. So we continue as usual."

What does a TPM Facilitator do?

"Total Productive Maintenance is a way to make work methods easier for the employees. And so I try to maximize efficiency. Fortunately, we have a lot of smart people at Novidon that help us with that. With the assistance of a consultant and a project manager, we focus on themes like Training and Safety, Technical Service, and Production. Cierpa Kaizen is a great tool to assist us with that."

We can show a problem status at any time, which motivates and gets people involved.

How has your work method changed since you started working with Cierpa Kaizen?

"We register everything. When operators fill in the deviation forms, Cierpa Kaizen enables deviations to be recorded and translated into actions. We then assign a problem-owner to get going. When the action is completed, we are notified.

The best moment within the process is informing the operator. People see something happening with the problems they encounter. Moreover, we can show the problem status at any time, when people want to know it, which motivates and gets people involved."

Was it difficult getting people excited about a new system?

"Of course, at first it takes some time: I had never even heard of Cierpa Kaizen: It was Eric van Roosmalen, then working at Aviko, who pointed it out to me. I am now the chief system implementer. I think it’s an great system. We also use it at our site in Veurne (Belgium) and are implementing it in England. The local operations manager is also quite excited. 

Our operators don't work directly with Cierpa Kaizen because we don't have computers at every workstation. In addition, some people find it challenging to work digitally: they're scared, and won't or can't do it. And so, we work with paper-based deviation forms that I put into Cierpa Kaizen. And it works well for us. As long as we provide good feedback, the involvement is there, and the difference in working methods is also noticeable on the work floor."

We have much more overview than before. This allows us to coordinate maintenance better and improve safety.

How does Cierpa Kaizen contribute to TPM?

"We have much more overview than before. What has been done, what still has to be done, and when? What deviations occur, and what causes it? Everyone in the office can access the system and get live updates. Now we can better coordinate maintenance and improve safety."

The power of Cierpa Kaizen for the food industry

The food industry is challenging! You have to respond to market demands, work with strict legal requirements, and be flexible in your manufacturing process. With Cierpa Kaizen, you discover where waste occurs and how you can optimize your process. That offers many opportunities! 

• Better quality
• Less waste
• Good HACCP quality assurance
• Faster shifts in both product and packaging
• Audit-proof improving