BELL FOOD GROUP
“PEOPLE , NOT SYSTEMS , MAKE THE DIFFERENCE ”
SVEN FRIEDLI CIO , BELL FOOD GROUP
Video Analytics for a Better Chicken Nugget Now , at Bell Food Group ’ s ham production sites as well as in other factories throughout Europe , video analytics - backed by powerful AI and ML tools - are helping further improve the production process . “ With video analytics , we can capture every important step of the production process and determine in real time whether each individual ham-slice meets the right quality standards ," Friedli explains . “ We do the same thing at our factories that process chickens . Based on things like size , color and structure , our video analytics can determine whether which part of a bird ends up as chicken sausage nuggets or stays , uh , chickenshaped as part of better quality products .”
At this point , Sven and I both agreed that we were reaching levels of hunger that weren ’ t conducive to a quality interview , and steered our discussion towards the future .
The Road Ahead Digital transformation is , as anyone overseeing a digital transformation is quick to tell you , an involved and unending process . Friedli is proud of the progress made so far , but readily admits that some elements of the business have a ways to go . “ In some areas , we ' re really advanced . We ' re using machine learning , predictive analytics and a whole load of other cutting edge technology for example to optimise our supply chain and production planning . In others , however , we still definitely have a lot more of our journey ahead of us ,” he says .
As he settles into his role , meeting with different business units , learning the ropes , and finding the pain points that technology can soothe , Friedli explains that “ First , I ' m working to fully understand the business ’ needs so that I can help use technology to meet those needs as best as possible .” Once those needs are fully understood , he continues , “ My second major goal is to clearly define the digital transformation journey that the company is on - to really understand which technologies , whether that ' s automation , analytics , or something else to use . It ' s important to have a clear goal . There are so many technology trends happening all at once that it would be very easy to do lots of cool stuff , but if we don ' t focus , then we will never see the benefits of those technologies reach the business . Having a clear strategy is essential .”
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