Customer Story with Frifag Märwil AG

Project Overview

In recent years, Frifag Märwil AG has made substantial investments in modernizing and automating its production processes. They approached 1LIMS for digitalization consulting services to investigate opportunities for automating their quality assurance processes.

1LIMS organized the LabCheck workshop to examine quality management processes at Frifag Märwil and explore how digitalization can decrease expenses associated with paper-based workflows.

We determined that a laboratory employee's overall workload for quality data management is about 32%, translating into CHF 22,400 in annual costs.

Digitalizing quality assurance (QA) processes with 1LIMS and automating workflows can save costs in the long term. Efficiencies may reduce QA data management effort to 10%, saving approximately CHF 15,400. Redirecting saved time to decision-making and problem-solving activities can increase overall added value beyond initial investments.

Read on to learn more about the LabCheck workshop we've provided and what our digital transformation assessment has revealed.

The challenge

Analog workflows and inefficient data management

Frifag Märwil AG, headquartered in Thurgau, specializes in producing premium poultry meat. They oversee all production stages, from animal feeding to delivery, ensuring adherence to stringent quality standards such as ISO 9001 and FSSC22000. With 280 employees, Frifag Märwil operates primarily from its Märwil headquarters, with additional sites in Rain and Schüpfen.

The company faced significant challenges in integrating quality management into their digital infrastructure. While their ERP system efficiently handled various aspects of their business, including CRM, warehouse management, and purchasing, it needed support for quality management processes. Instead, the company relied on self-created forms and Excel spreadsheets for managing quality-related tasks.

This reliance on analog or non-digital methods for quality management resulted in several inefficiencies. Firstly, the manual nature of these processes demanded substantial human resources and time, leading to increased operational costs. Secondly, the absence of a cohesive digital system could have helped the efficient traceability of data. Employees often had to switch between systems, leading to fragmented data management and a high risk of errors.

Frifag Märwil recognized the urgent need to address these pain points and sought a solution to streamline and optimize their quality management processes. They outlined clear objectives for the digitalization process.

Digitalization goals

Transforming laboratory operations at Frifag Märwil AG

Operational  
efficiency

Optimize quality management processes by reducing manual interventions, eliminating redundant tasks, and automating workflows.

Data 
traceability

Establish a robust system for tracking and documenting quality data throughout the production lifecycle to increase transparency and consumer trust.

Compliance with hygiene and safety standards

Implement standardized procedures that ensure adherence to all applicable regulations and industry standards.

Solution

LabCheck: Assessing opportunities for enhanced quality data management

Frifag Märwil AG aimed to implement a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) to streamline quality control in their laboratory, optimize workflows, and improve data management practices.

But before implementing a LIMS solution, Frifag Märwil decided to explore opportunities for optimizing existing processes and identifying areas for improvement. The company has commissioned a workshop with 1LIMS to facilitate their digital transformation.

Our LabCheck workshop aimed to provide Frifag Märwil with a clear understanding of their current state, potential areas for improvement, and the anticipated benefits of digitalization in their quality management processes. With this knowledge, the company could make an informed decision about implementing LIMS for a more efficient laboratory operation.

Our workshop can be briefly divided into three main steps:

Step 1

Evaluation of current QA processes

Determine how the data is stored, managed, and accessed to evaluate its traceability.

Step 2

Opportunity
analysis

Identify opportunities for optimizing existing data management processes within the quality management.

Step 3

1LIMS implementation assessment

Assess the costs and benefits of digitalization using 1LIMS, considering both short and long-term implications.

Workshop Overview

We arranged a full-day on-site visit conducted by two representatives from 1LIMS, with one focusing on process evaluation and the other on digitalization. Attendees included the members of Frifag Märwil's Production, Quality, and Lab teams.

Approach

Our approach incorporates Lean Six Sigma principles and specific methodologies such as the Gemba Walk, Process Mapping, and SIPOC analysis to address quality management challenges and drive process improvement systematically.

Key Actions

Conducted a tour along the Frifag Märwil facility to evaluate quality management processes

Collected the needs and requirements of laboratory personnel about QA process enhancements

Created a laboratory process map (SIPOC) detailing the existing processes

Conducted future state interviews with key project stakeholders

Deliverables

Presentation of data evaluation and results analysis

Detailed analysis report outlining the Action Plan for digitalization

Requirements and functional specifications for integrating a digital solution

Time and cost estimation for 1LIMS implementation

Existing process evaluation

Quality (Gemba) Walk:

A tour along the entire value chain of poultry production

We took a tour of Frifag Märwil's poultry production facility to understand their poultry production process, focusing on evaluating aspects related to quality data management and opportunities for digitalization.

Process mapping and SIPOC analysis

We used the SIPOC framework to map out the end-to-end workflow of quality management activities at Frifag Märwil, clarify the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders involved in the quality management process, and visualize inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and areas for improvement.

We've discovered that Frifag's quality management system has the following inefficiencies:

Quality management processes are labor-intensive, requiring significant human resources to manage tasks such as data collection, organization, analysis, and report generation, resulting in inefficiencies and increased operational costs.

Moving from paper to Excel or transferring data between systems introduces discontinuities in the workflow. This process often involves manual steps like printing, emailing, or physically transferring data, consuming valuable time and increasing the risk of errors.

Orders for external analyses are entered manually, which may delay sample processing and result reporting.

Process quantification

Our evaluation of Frifag Märwil's QA operations has demonstrated that the company has a solid commitment to quality control, but there are opportunities to optimize resource use and streamline data management processes.

Here is a brief overview of our findings:

Frifag Märwil AG conducts 414 Quality Assurance (QA) activities annually, involving the analysis of 1,000 samples and examining 66 parameters per week.

Frifag's lab staff spends 55% of their time managing data.

One full-time employee spends 32% of their time on quality data management. This translates to CHF 22,400 of the annual labor expenses.

414

QA activities annually

55%

of QA time is spent on data management

parametersper week

1000

samples per year

CHF 22,400

annual data management labor cost

Opportunity analysis

After thoroughly evaluating the existing processes, we've identified specific opportunities to enable Frifag Märwil to overcome existing challenges and enhance its quality management practices, leading to improved data management, compliance, and operational efficiency.

Data Management

Data fragmentation

Introduce LIMS to centralize management of all quality data and activities to streamline data storage, retrieval, and analysis processes.

Data inconsistency

Standardize the quality assurance data collection to facilitate more straightforward analysis and ensure consistency across processes and departments.

Data integrity

Standardize the management of all master data, including parameters, specifications, test plans, and methods to improve data integrity and reduce the risk of errors.

Data Accuracy

Introduce tablets for data collection by quality assurance employees to improve data accuracy, reduce errors, and streamline the data collection process.

Compliance and traceability

Lack of transparency

Track the origin, processing, and outcome of every quality-related action to ensure complete traceability of all data and activities.

Product Safety

Standardize sampling procedures with defined analysis plans and conduct regular hygiene checks to prevent cross-contamination and ensure product safety.

Consistent quality monitoring

Record and manage in-process controls (IPC) within the LIMS to ensure consistent quality monitoring throughout production.

Proactive risk management

Implement automated risk assessments with recommendations for risk mitigation to help address potential quality issues before they escalate.

Operational efficiency

Manual data analysis

Implement dashboards and control charts that display minimum and maximum limits for trend analysis to provide real-time insights into quality performance.

Quick data transfer

Explore the possibility of integrating with the ERP for master data and production assignments.

Manual order processing

Establish an interface with external service laboratories, such as SQTS, to streamline the process of sending samples for analysis and receiving results.

Documentation efficiency

Implement a photo database for visual recording of products to enable easy reference and analysis of product quality.

Results

1LIMS implementation assessment for Frifag Märwil AG

The value of integration

As a result of our LabCheck workshop, we've outlined the potential benefits of digitalizing quality management at Frifag Märwil using the 1LIMS solution:

By implementing 1LIMS, Frifag Märwil can reduce manual data management risks by ensuring data integrity and availability.

Automation of recurring activities in quality assurance can enhance efficiency and work quality. By automating routine tasks, Frifag Märwil's employees can focus on value-added workflows and increase productivity.

With 1LIMS, the time spent on quality data management can be reduced from 32% to 10% or less per full-time QA employee. This amounts to up to CHF 15,400 in potential savings per year.

With an ROI of 71%, every franc invested yields a profit of 71 Rappen, highlighting the cost-effectiveness of the digitalization efforts.

22%

less time spent on quality data management

CHF 15,400

savings per year

71%

ROI

1LIMS implementation plan

The whole process of implementing 1LIMS, from customization to launch, can take three to six months, based on Frifag Märwil's resources. Once the solution is implemented, we suggest gradually integrating 1LIMS into existing IT systems and linking it with external labs to automate data transfer and improve accuracy.

Here is the overview of the main phases of 1LIMS implementation:

Phase 1

Replace all Excel documents with 1LIMS for centralized management of quality data and the planning and implementation of QA activities.

Phase 2

Digitalize internal forms (label check, temperature check, exit check, etc.) for electronic processing and administration.

Deploy tablets with hygienic protective cases for operational use.

Phase 3

Establish a direct connection to frequently used service laboratories via an integrated interface.

Automatically transfer QA orders to service laboratories and receive analysis results in 1LIMS.

Manage samples with QR codes created in 1LIMS for internal processing and shipping to service laboratories.

Phase 4

Integrate with the ERP for master data (contacts, articles).

Automatically create analysis orders in 1LIMS based on production orders in the ERP.

Provide automatic feedback on product status (released, blocked, etc.) and critical analysis results from 1LIMS to the ERP.

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Frifag Märwil Explores Digital Transformation Potential to Save CHF 15,400 Using 1LIMS