Safety first, then efficiency. That’s how Safeway makes packaged ice cream and frozen novelties at its plant in Bellevue, Wash. Lean manufacturing principles guide the business.
Safeway Inc. takes the mystery out of making ice cream. At its Bellevue, Wash., ice cream plant, silos, pasteurizers, stainless steel tubing, flavor vats, fillers and other equipment are all labeled as to their contents or function. There is even a label above a hand-crank pencil sharpener. That was put there either for the benefit of a younger generation raised on hand-held devices (instead of pencil and paper) or else it was an expression of an engineer’s sense of humor.
Michael Williams, plant manager for Safeway Ice Cream in Bellevue, operates the plant according to lean manufacturing principles. The essence of the practice is to preserve value with less work. One of the basic tenets views the spending of resources for any purpose other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful.