Whyte & Mackay Works With Ideagen to Boost Quality, Safety and Compliance
Whyte & Mackay, the global drinks brand company, is working with leading software vendor Ideagen to improve quality, safety and compliance management at its bottling operations. Ideagen’s Q-Pulse software has been rolled out across Whyte & Mackay’s plant in Grangemouth, Scotland, to improve document and audit management and ease compliance with standards such as BRC.
Q-Pulse, an electronic quality management system, has replaced a series of paper based processes helping the organisation improve all aspects of its operations, including enhancing levels of safety reporting.
Norman Elliott, Compliance Manager at Whyte & Mackay, says: “The management of document control and easing of compliance were huge drivers for us ahead of this project. Previously we had been using a series of manual systems and processes which were becoming dated and at times a hindrance to what we were trying to do in regards to both quality and safety.
“After choosing Q-Pulse and implementing the software, everything we require is now in one system and for document management and control that is excellent. It means we no longer need to check if the correct processes are being followed or the most up-to-date documentation being used as the system does that for us automatically.”
He continues: “Q-Pulse has encouraged more ownership of the quality system across the entire bottling plant and also makes it easier to comply with standards such as BRC and ISO45001 (OHSAS 18001). Now, when we are audited, it’s a case of quickly and easily finding the information the auditor requires and also presenting them with the history of our actions. The auditor can historically see what we have done and why we have done it – quickening audit times and simplifying the compliance process.
“Previously, we would have been under pressure trying to prepare for those audits. But Q-Pulse is a one stop shop for us to go and find any quality, safety or compliance information that is required – whether that’s for our own internal staff or external auditors.”
Whyte & Mackay, based in Scotland and founded in 1844, produces single malt and blended Scotch whiskies, liqueurs and vodkas with brands including Whyte and Mackay Blended Scotch, The Dalmore, Jura and Fettercairn single malts; Glayva liqueur and Vladivar Vodka.
Since implementing the Q-Pulse software within its bottling plant, the company has extended the system to adopt processes linked with health and safety, near miss reporting and safety improvement programmes.
Norman Elliott adds: “As well as the improvements from the quality side, Q-Pulse has helped us improve our investigations into safety incidents. Now, to get to the root cause of an incident, we can record corrective and preventive actions through the Q-Pulse incident management functionality, known as IMS, and this fits very nicely with our overall health and safety management. One of our major successes was in encouraging staff to come forward with safety improvement suggestions using Q-Pulse and its IMS functionality. Our staff are taking more ownership in overall safety around the plant. By tackling safety in this proactive way, and because everything is recorded in the Q-Pulse system, we can show inspectors exactly how we have tried to prevent accidents.With Q-Pulse, we have been able to become more proactive in terms of risk and safety management.”
Ideagen’s Q-Pulse is used by over 2,200 organisations globally including some of the biggest names in the Manufacturing, Aviation, Rail, Energy and Life Science industries.
