Cadbury Factory Tour

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A walk into the Cadbury chocolate factory in Bournville, UK is a walk into the past. The plant first started producing chocolate in 1879 and aesthetically not much has changed. The original brick and mortar façade is still visible within the factory interior, providing the aura of British history. What the factory lacks in modern appearance, it compensates for in state-of-the-art chocolate production capabilities. The Bournville facility is most famous for producing moulded chocolate “Dairy Milk” varieties (Caramel, Whole Nut, Turkish, etc.), but they also produce seasonal products for Easter. The most unique production process in the factory and the focus of this paper is the Cadbury Easter Milk Chocolate Giant Egg. The Giant Egg production follows a mass process. The line is capable of manufacturing a number of different types of Giant Egg varieties (Flake, Caramel, Dairy Milk) but ultimately the production process remains virtually identical for each product variety (Exhibit #1). There are, however, some unique characteristics of the method Cadbury employs in managing the Giant Egg: 1. Lean production 2. Automation 3. Waste management Lean Production: Although the plant manager at the Bournville facility does not profess that Cadbury is Toyota, there are a number of lean elements in the Giant Egg production. Most immediately noticeable was a distinct lack of clutter on the production floor. All items essential to the routine maintenance of work areas (brooms, vacuums, cleaning materials) were consciously placed in easily accessible adjacent locations. The prescribed resting area of each specific item was outlined in coloured tape, facilitating easy access and replacement of the item. This indicates that the plant using the lean housekeeping methodology of “5S”. The prescription of exact locations is specifically, straighten or Seiton, which suggests “there

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