From Factories to Dinner Plates: How Onsight helps bring Yorkshire Puddings Home for the Holidays

Food retailers leverage augmented reality across their supply chain partners for remote food safety audits and more

Yorkshire pudding, a decadent British quick bread, has been served as a side dish with holiday dinners since the 18^th century. While the pandemic has forced families to reimagine several traditions this year, it has also created a huge demand for these baked delicacies and similar products that are deeply rooted in their heritage. The 2020 Tesco Report identified that over 28% of Tesco shoppers are looking forward to purchasing Yorkshire puddings for the holidays this year.

To meet the increasing demand for these holiday treats while remaining compliant with COVID-19-related restrictions, food retailers and manufacturers across the globe are instituting the help of augmented reality (AR) platforms such as Librestream’s Onsight to reduce time to market and increase productivity and cost savings while ensuring worker safety. Since its inception in 2003, Onsight has helped organizations in 120 countries recognize the benefits of implementing AR within their manufacturing process. A study by TechRepublic found that over 91% of businesses surveyed have already implemented or are strongly considering implementing AR. Of these, 61% reported an average of 20% increase in cost savings and a 25% increase in productivity.

To meet the increasing demand for these holiday treats while remaining compliant with COVID-19-related restrictions, food retailers and manufacturers across the globe are instituting the help of augmented reality (AR) platforms such as Librestream’s Onsight to reduce time to market and increase productivity and cost savings while ensuring worker safety.

To help you visualize how Onsight can seamlessly integrate itself into your supply chain process, let’s deconstruct how Yorkshire puddings make it on to a consumer’s dinner table.

Supply Chain Partner Identification

As with any successful supply chain management strategy, the process of producing this quick bread starts with a food manufacturer identifying supply chain partners such as raw material suppliers, distribution and transportation partners, retail partners and so on. A successful supply chain partner strategy identifies the quantities required as well as the opportunities to collaborate and share responsibilities and resources. Once selected, a supply chain partner must undergo regular safety food audits and more to ensure the retailers procedures are followed for food and worker safety.

Production

Typically, a worker begins their day by scanning the QR code on the equipment or task they are assigned using AR wearables or smart devices. Once scanned, Onsight guides the worker through the process of performing routine tasks, maintenance, repairs and inspections. For example, a factory worker may be assigned to check if the raw materials delivered are suitable, meet the requirements of the Food Standards Agency and are free from contaminants. Using the existing knowledge database on the platform or by consulting with remote experts, the worker can verify that raw materials such as flour for the puddings is certified and comes from a reputable supplier or mill.

Occasionally, new equipment is introduced. Production line workers can accelerate training timelines by accessing digital work instructions, relevant content and forms in Onsight Flow. This software is accessed through AR wearables and smart devices such as cell phones and tablets. Additionally, it offers teams the ability to capture simplified data and allows managers or floor supervisors to digitally sign off on procedures and inspections.

As these baked goods come out of the oven they are checked for size and inconsistencies before they are packaged for distribution. Workers can use Onsight to perform inspections during the packaging process to record any new findings and errors before the products are loaded on to pallets for transportation. Findings from the inspection are automatically sent to supervisors or remote experts for final approval before products are sent to a retailer. At the retailer’s storage facility, the AR platform is used by warehouse staff to ensure the puddings are stored at the right temperature and in the right environment to avoid damage and contamination.

Transportation

The production facility then sorts the pallets for transportation to various storefronts. Workers assigned to inspect transportation methods for safety and quality can use Onsight to check for temperature and humidity and to ensure that the transportation method is clean, sanitized, weatherproofed and free from any infestations. Here a worker can use a thermal AR wearable to detect any areas without adequate refrigeration. If an issue is found during the inspection, a remote expert may be called in to fix faulty equipment by guiding the worker through the repair process. Upon delivery, individual stores perform inspections to confirm that the packages arrive damage-free. Onsight Flow can be used to walk warehouse workers through the process of safely loading and unloading products from the pallets.

At the Store

Once at the store, the puddings are displayed on shelves for customers to purchase. Using Onsight, the packages can be checked regularly by the food retailer safety audit team to ensure they are displayed in and stored correctly to meet the safety requirements set by regulatory bodies such as the Food Standards Agency.

Finally, packages of Yorkshire pudding make their way from shelves to consumers’ dinner tables. With various checks and inspections throughout the supply chain process, consumers are assured the highest quality of this delicious treat with a hint of nostalgia.

Why You Should Consider Onsight for Your Organization:

A 2018 skills gap study identified that five out of ten US manufacturing jobs remained unfilled due to a significant shortage of skilled workers. Should this trend continue, the manufacturing industry could see losses north of $454 billion in 2028 alone. With Onsight you can empower your workers to adapt quickly to new equipment, train new hires faster and see a significant increase in the productivity of your staff. To learn more about how our platform can create efficiencies in your supply chain process and help you increase your cost savings, contact an expert of our team today!