Chewing Gum ChallengeWorking within the Quality Assurance department of The Wrigley Company Limited's U.K. headquarters in Plymouth which employs over 600 staff, Kara Cox was set a challenge of investigating the efficiency of the coating process used in creating sugar-free pellet chewing gum - a major product for the Company. Having recommended, researched and verified a modification to the coating process Kara's work could well lead to significant efficiencies for the Company in terms of savings in ingredient costs.
Background:
The Wm Wrigley Jr. Company is a recognised leader in the confectionery field and the world's largest manufacturer and marketer of chewing gum. The start of Kara's challenge was the fact that Wrigley had identified that the process for coating sugar-free pellet gum was producing a lot of unwanted powder. In today's manufacturing climate where efficiencies are paramount in all areas of manufacturing, Kara was given the brief to reduce the unwanted powder from the coating process by optimising the recipe used in production.
Approach:
Kara began her project by closely investigating the existing pellet coating recipes and gathering information on each step of the process. She discovered that the process, developed several years ago, was using an excess of powder, which had a number of disadvantages. Over several months, Kara carefully monitored the effects of different patterns of syrup and powder applied to coat the pellets. Through research and trials Kara then generated a new more efficient recipe to reduce the excess of powder. The new recipe was then stringently tested to prove it could be used in production without affecting the quality of the gum associated with Wrigley's products.
Results:
Kara's recommended recipe has been implemented in production, and could potentially lead to significant cost efficiencies for The Wrigley Company. The project has also reduced the amount of powder going to waste, contributing to the company's environmental policy on waste management.
Kara's drive and enthusiasm for her work has brought a successful conclusion to her project. Initially, as a manager new to the scheme, I was concerned about taking on such a young person but, having employed Kara, I now think Year in Industry students are fantastic and have recruited already for next year.
Mr Dave Wiseman, QA Analytical Team Leader |
