How to Succeed in Food Industry

 
          The food processing sector is one of the most important manufacturing industry in terms of employment and value added. The food industry in Thailand has undergone many changes over the past 20 years, including highly automated, high - speed operation and innovation in packaging, formulation and distribution system. The need to supply the increasing demand for processed products necessitates the rapid development of related food industries.
The increased use of processed products and the rapid development of processing industries in Thailand have given rise to different systems of food distribution, legislation, quality standards and difference in consumer appeal. Apart from the effects on changing in business nature and the increasing demand, the agreement under World Trade Organization (WTO) has created significantly new opportunities for international trade, most notably the reduction in tariffs. The Uruguay Round creates an environment from which we can all benefit by its market - opening effect, improved transparency and predictability of the system. The forces such as competition, changing customers, product complexity, has resulted in requiring new approach if food industries are to survive in competitive world markets. The effective ways to be successful in the food industry business include.

1. The quality requirements of the market.

It is important in the product development phase to take necessary steps to define the market aimed at, to obtain and evaluate information on its requirements and to establish quality of design and practical methods to conform to the demand.

2. The cost.

It is also important to maintain a balance between product quality and product price by keeping cost down to standard and quality up to standard. Cost may be controlled by the raw materials supply, the production process, risk prevention by minimizing defective products and, most important of all, the skill and ability of the management team to achieve the cost quality fuction efficiently with given resources.

3. The legislation

The design of the product has to comply with the legislation in the country in which the product is made and also to the countries to which the product is expected to be marketed. The legislation may include the composition and ingredients, nutritional characteristics, hygiene and the environment of manufacture as well as the information that should be provided to the consumers regarding the weights, nutrition facts etc.

4. The organisation

This is an important function that effects the quality management system, and the management team is restricted by the policies of the organization. Issues such as the importance attached to product quality by the company, quantity of resources and facilities kept at the disposal for an efficient control function; the responsibilities and authority given to the function team, the attitudes of the top management and the board, and the ability and maturity of the food control manager to cope with constraints of the organization, the functional interfaces such as product and process development, materials purchasing and the distribution function all the way from the end of the production line to the consumers are important for consideration.

Though it is a fast growing industry, the food processing industry in Thailand is dominated by small and medium - scale enterprises which is still of limited ability to produce products under proper quality control and hygienic practices. Realizing this problem, TISI has established "Hygienic Development Unit for Food Factories" to develop hygienic and quality system of small and medium - scale food factories in compliance with the standards requirements. Due to the limiting officer control policy of the government, the activities are carried out far from the companies needs.

General management, production planning and control, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points - HACCP techiques, quality management according to ISO 9000, maintenance management, supervision and training of staff are some of the areas in which improvement would enable small and medium size enterprises to grow to, strengthen their competitive position in order to access new markets.

 

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