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"...We're able to ensure corrections or improvements are made."

--Debbie Stanley
Safety Administrator for Tyson Foods, Inc.

Tyson Foods, Inc. is the world's largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork and the second largest food company in the Fortune 500. Tyson Foods produces a wide variety of brand name protein-based and prepared food products marketed in the United States in more than 80 countries around the world. Tyson Foods is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves.

The management team at Tyson Foods is steadfast in its commitment to ensure the highest quality and safety standards throughout the organization. Experiencing high levels of success requires employing leading innovations to maximize efficiency. When it comes to ensuring safety, Tyson has found a solution keeping them in prevention mode, rather than crisis mode. Tyson had a comprehensive auditing program in place, but it lacked the ability to efficiently manage its safety audits and track the needed corrective actions.

The Challenge: Slow Feedback and Limited Tracking

“We were not successful before," states Debbie Stanley, Tyson's Safety Administrator. “I don't like saying that. We tried. But, you can't paper manage the number of audits we do and effectively perform the required follow-up afterwards.

Stanley is part of a team of managers responsible for Tyson's safety programs for 140 production facilities in the United Sates. Every year, Stanley's department performs nearly 700 extensive audits that each take three to five days to complete.

Tyson had invested significant time and manpower to develop a leading safety program. The challenge was being able to efficiently manage all of the audit findings.

Before, the process required conducting audits using "paper and pencil." The auditor would then return to their office and interpret the audit results over a period of three to four weeks. To create audit documentation suitably organized and considered complete, took as long as three months from the date the audit was actually conducted.

“It was a poor process," Stanley continues. “It took triple the effort needed and we didn't have any way to efficiently track the results."

The Discovery: Finding Flexibility

Once Tyson's management team decided they needed to automate the auditing process, they researched and identified three firms they wanted to learn more about. Following a very structured method, Tyson executives sent their requirements to the identified firms and invited each to make a presentation. According to Stanley, “We had ten people from Tyson evaluate each of the presentations. We could see Steton's software did what we wanted, with more flexibility."

The Solution: Improved Efficiency

Tyson's implementation of Steton's software occurred in early 2002, but Stanley vividly recalls the way things used to be. “When I read the completed audits typed up before we started using Steton...I just have to chuckle," she says.

“Assessing our previously used paper method versus Steton's software...there's really no comparison...seriously. When you have audits that go two to three months before being entered into the computer, you forget the information."

The procedure is now much more efficient. Tyson has gone from taking up to three months to complete a final audit report to having it ready immediately at the audit conclusion. Stanley enthusiastically continues, “Now when an auditor leaves the plant, everything is done. Everyone likes that a lot, because when you're done, you're done."

When audit data is uploaded, that useful information is housed within Steton Quality Suite® (SQS) to ensure corrective actions take place.

According to Stanley, “Now you upload the audit results and things are getting fixed because we can track it. Our senior leaders in the company use Steton to make sure people are getting things done. To talk about correcting deficiencies, the turnaround time is the quickest it's ever been in our company. We are very prompt, where before we had no way to check and make sure things were getting done. There was simply no system to follow up."

“Through improved communications, we're able to ensure corrections or improvements are made. We're even able to measure employee performance."

Beyond dramatically improving the speed and efficiency of the audit process, when Stanley was asked for an assessment of the increase in accuracy, she said, "... there's no comparison."

The Future: Department Growth

“Our whole company sees the value and is comfortable with Steton's software...it's just become a part of daily business," states Stanley. She anticipates three more departments, beyond her own, will begin using Steton's software within the next six months.

More on Steton: Empowering Organizations

Established in 1996, Steton is the leading provider of mobile data collection and reporting software for quality and safety professionals responsible for public health and consumer safety. Steton empowers organizations to avoid loss and increase compliance through improved data accuracy, corrective action management, and real-time reporting.

A snapshot of Steton's clients include the top three quick-service restaurants in the world, the world's number one retailer, leading food processors, the global leader in contract food service, the world's largest hotel chain, leading third-party auditors and labs, government agencies, airlines, correctional facilities, and the list goes on. These prominent organizations have turned to Steton to help protect their most valuable assets — people, products, and brands. Steton's rapidly expanding list of clients across multiple industries has made Steton's software the technology standard for quality and safety professionals.