Manage the complexity of cleaning

Simons Halal Food in Roermond is an active user of the HIMS software module. The reason for using it: the need to be able to monitor the cleaning activities of the internal departments and the external cleaning company more frequently and more effectively. 

The need for food companies to get a grip on the complex organisation of cleaning - and thus on the result - is growing. Eco2Clean has captured the complexity of cleaning in a software module: HIMS. A module that goes much further than simply registering cleaning and inspection results. Lianne Slots, QA officer at Simons Halal Food, explains.

Efficient working method 

Simons Halal Food produces high quality Halal meat products and supplies these products to importers, distributors and wholesalers all over the world. The modern production facility is one of the largest and most modern in Europe. "Despite the growth that the company has experienced in recent years, there is still the culture of a real family business," says Lianne. "Quality, service, flexibility, continuity and personal contact are of paramount importance here." For monitoring the daily and periodic cleaning in the various departments, Simons uses HIMS. "In it, we report deviations during the completion of production to the external cleaning company and during the completion of the cleaned departments by cleaning to production. This makes for an efficient working method. HIMS also gives all those involved more insight into each other's work and improves communication back and forth because of the feedback loops. All procedures and objects to be cleaned are described in the module. Changes in processes that affect the cleaning moments and activities are easy to process. We also schedule the Listeria swabs, agar and pH checks. We include the feedback and add the results of visual inspection rounds." 

HIMS app

"Deviations and improvements found during the inspection rounds are recorded on site in HIMS. This way, all those involved are informed at once of what is going on," says Lianne. The app is used by the foremen of the various departments, the production leaders, the external cleaning company and the quality department. They can all respond directly to reports, note risky situations and explain them if necessary. "They can also link photos taken on the spot to an object," she continues. "That's good, because a photo often explains very well why an object has been rejected. Previously, when cleaning checked the delivery, a paper list went from department to department. Now there's no more paperwork involved in reporting back. That saves time. But the most important thing is that the use of the app ensures a better outcome of the final cleaning."

Flowchart: Grip on food safe cleaning

The flowchart clearly shows the complexity of organising cleaning properly, resulting in a clean factory.

Trend analyses

Eco2Clean sends a report with a number of trend analyses every month. The type of report depends on the customer's requirements. Simons Halal Food chooses to send a report in case of deviations after daily or periodic activities. "It is also very easy to generate trend analyses from within HIMS", says Lianne, "because all data can be exported to Excel. It used to take a lot of research to collect the right data from paper. Now we record the points of improvement per department, object and machine in the module. This is valuable input for our monthly evaluation meetings with the external cleaning company." 

Audits

"We also have an important source of information with this during audits," Lianne concludes. "When an auditor asks about the cleaning and disinfection module, we access HIMS to explain how it works. The app also provides support during an audit for questions about environmental testing, Listeria swabs and agar checks. The auditor can evaluate all the actions carried out afterwards, which contributes to optimising and securing the quality of cleaning and hygiene."  

Business units Eco2Clean
Eco2Clean ICT supports companies with systems and software that provide much better insight into actual performance and problems during cleaning. "Without the right data, no analysis is possible and a company does not get the right insight into the real problems," explains Gert Visscher, director/owner of Eco2Clean. "For customers who need support in the field of cleaning, there is Eco2Clean Consultancy. This consultancy offers, regardless of the supply of products, customised support by highly experienced people specialising in food cleaning." 

www.simonsholland.nl/en
www.eco2clean.nl

Photos vulbus and vullijn: © Simons Halal Food