Investing in a sanitation and food safety partner is a big decision. It is a partnership rooted in trust to protect your brand, your plant and your partnerships. You need to have confidence in what a provider says it will deliver on initially, but also confidence in the longevity and consistency of the relationship to support your business over time – establishing a true partnership.

In such a rapidly changing industry, it is important to understand what kind of programs or processes your partner has in place to stay progressive, manage new demands and lead your business forward. And how it may impact cost long-term.

It is also extremely important for any food manufacturer to have a plan in place to help offset the rising cost of running the business to remain competitive and provide value to its shareholders.  PSSI works as a partner in that challenge to develop annual cost savings plans to off-set items such as wage inflation.

With more than 45 years of sanitation and food safety experience and one of the highest employee retention rates in the industry, PSSI values its long-standing partner relationships with the industry’s largest food processors. Its culture is centered around lean manufacturing principles of never-ending efforts to continuously improve and ensure the best sanitation and food safety outcomes for its partners.

The company has a unique strategy to offset rising labor costs for its partners by developing new solutions that save money in other areas of the business. This is led by PSSI’s dedicated Continuous Improvement (CI) team who works together with Site Managers to assess, evaluate and improve operations.

The goal is to maximize operational efficiency and minimize waste by providing a safer work environment for its team members, reducing turnover, improving operational performance, and producing year-over-year savings to offset inflation costs. Here are some of the key areas the PSSI CI team focuses on to manage costs and increase safety:

• Decrease waste – Monitoring how much water and/or chemicals are being used during a sanitation process and how that can be conserved without impacting quality.
• Reduce sanitation window – Evaluating the process to see how the sanitation process can become more efficient to allow for more food production time.
• Enhance food safety – Assess pre-op processes and swab performances to ensure the highest level of effectiveness.
• Protect employee safety – Supervising key safety KPIs to protect employee safety and working directly with partners to develop solutions for safety enhancements.

As part of the evaluation process, PSSI’s CI team specifically looks for technology or other infrastructure gaps to improve safety and operational performance. This includes automation, spray bars, assisted cleaning, and clean in place options (CIP).

“Continuous Improvement is a mindset that we enforce across our organization,” said Ronnie Raper, Senior Director of Continuous Improvement at PSSI. “It’s about rising above the status quo to utilize the creativity and competitiveness inside every team member to find ways to improve and be better for our partners.”

Reports show significant cost savings for its processing partners. As part of a recent CI project at one of PSSI’s largest partner facilities in Omaha, Neb., PSSI reported:

• 45% reduction in Pre-Op deficiencies
• 55% reduction in NR’s
• 76% reduction in Downtime (30 minutes total for 2019)

This is the kind of commitment and value that a successful, long-term sanitation partnership is built on. Real cost savings that positively impact employees, food safety and ultimately a processor’s bottom line.

That is what PSSI is committed to in working closely with every plant manager. The company views each partnership as an opportunity to learn, grow and improve from day one. Not only to deliver the highest level of food safety, but to share savings and help its partners grow.

Contact PSSI today to learn more about how its sanitation and food safety services can improve your plant and save you money.