Based on proverbial wisdom, it takes a village to raise a child. Carrying that thought process into the world of commerce finds that it takes the commitment, dedication, and know-how of a team of professionals to turn a profit. This is especially true concerning the food production side of commerce where regulatory, marketing, and distributions protocols play a major role in shaping business goals.

The team of 504 professionals spearheading and executing each phase of production at Smithfield’s Wilson, NC, division share responsibility for turning pork bellies of various sizes into bacon at the rate of 3-million pounds per week. They are not merely professionals. They are specialist. They make bacon. The process involves curing, smoking, chilling, pressing, and slicing. The bacon flavor is derived from different formulations designed for delivering product combinations in the double-digit range. To be sure, bacon production is no ordinary process. Moreover, creating several varieties of bacon seems unlimiteds, attested by products produced in Wilson to include various slicing specifications from regular to thick, flavors such as brown sugar and cracked peppercorn, and lower sodium and fat for healthy attributes.  

“We process with seven different pickle formulations to achieve the desired flavor profile for our customers,” confirms Phillip Price III, plant manager. “Our mission is the consistent production of quality-defined bacon products at the lowest possible cost, which results in the highest value and customer satisfaction.”

A critical step in bacon production involves the curing process using pickle or brine as the agent. “Without the right cure there is no flavor profile and bellies won’t perform well across the board,” Price points out. “Each step is important, but if the curing process is off the product won’t hold together down the line.”

Thanks to their individual expertise — whether at the management level, on the product production side, food safety and quality assurance realms, or equipment and building maintenance projects — VA-based Smithfield’ bacon brands are gaining marketing strength in the retail and foodservice arenas. Its Wilson, NC, operation epitomizes the parent company’s growth strides in retail bacon processing and distribution. The plant works with 17 retail-slicing lines and two stack-pack slicing lines, marking a significant increase from its operating status in 1997 with four lines.

“It [success] starts with proper staffing, training, employee relations, and customer service,” notes Carey McKeithan, human resource manager, who transferred to the Wilson plant from Smithfield’s flagship plant in Tar Heel, NC. “New employee acclamation is critical so we offer a longer training period.”

 As McKeithan notes, spending essential time on the front end showing how the entire operation works ensures that employees fully understand company rules and policies. This empowers them with a “more in-depth” knowledge base that ultimately benefits Smithfield customers. “We work on aligning ourselves with internal business needs and our customers,” McKeithan confirms. “HR used to be perceived as not adding to the bottom line directly, but that is no longer the case. Low employee turnover means lower cost.”

Ashley Fardy, accounting manager, not only tracks the plant’s performance, she also develops the framework for product pricing. She is the critical link between operations and sales, interjects Chad Baker, Smithfield’s assistant vice president, packaged meats sales. Fardy says her job is about attaching value to “all we do. Sales takes my numbers to determine profit margins.” Since no two bellies are alike, the task is far from simple. Fardy, however, points to extensive training that prepared her to accurately assign costs for bellies based on their individual structures.

McKeithan and Fardy serve on the Wilson division’s offensive team in charge of positioning the operation to score with retail customers and consumers. Meanwhile, defensive moves take place in production where the team calling the plays, besides Price as plant manager, includes Marvin Peterson, first shift plant superintendent; Wilson Yeoman, plant engineer; Victor Bosarge, maintenance superintendent; and Marty Triplett, quality assurance manager.

“Everything boils down to consistency,” Triplett emphasizes. To that end, the plant operates under a QA program comprised of 33 control points starting with the arrival of raw material and ending only when the final product leaves the plant. “We exceed expectations by starting the process during the initial job-training phase,” Triplett reports. “That helps product quality and product sales. The key is the various quality issues that are measured online to make sure customer specifications are met.”

Four boxes per line per hour undergo random inspection to detect defects such as those related to film dating, tux dating, label errors, product in wrong box, and presence of cartilage or bone. The tolerance level is low to zero. Product failing in-house inspection for any reason is thoroughly evaluated before being reissued for QA inspection prior to shipping.

“By involving line workers makes quality everybody’s job,” Triplett says. A Certified Packer Program (CPP) begun in 2001 not only serves as a tracking system, but is also a condition of employment. By signing the agreement, individuals on the packaging line accept responsibility for ensuring final product is packed error free. Based on the CPP document, the signer (packer) is the last line of defense and, as such, is held accountable for anything that may fall through the cracks upstream in the process.  

In an industrialized society automation and mass production represent keys to the kingdom of commerce. By the same token, the architects of production at Smithfield’s Wilson plant created an environment for specialization — bacon specialization. The walls of the plant, no doubt, are filled with memories of earlier days when products created there came from pork and beef sources to produce hams, franks, sausage, and fresh meat cuts. Nowadays, the only SKUs rolling out of the plant describe varieties of bacon. The daily process begins with the delivery of skinned and trimmed bellies from a sister plant in nearby Tar Heel, primarily. “The major challenge relates to coordinating the process to ensure on-time production and shipping,” Peterson notes. “Thankfully we have a good management team.” Bellies are cut, trimmed, and shipped within two days of kill. “Our goal is to process them five days after kill,” says Peterson, a 22-year industry veteran, who joined Smithfield five years ago. Concerning goals, Peterson and others find themselves in the throes of experiencing the impact of adapting to change as pledged in the division’s mission statement. A new retail customer, who remains nameless for this report, agreed to carry Smithfield bacon if it meets certain specifications. “This request imposed an extraordinary adoption of new packaging requirements,” Peterson reports. “That meant re-training and re-education for everybody involved. But the kinks are finally out and we are close to full scale production.”

Sometimes production kinks can be blamed on equipment in one way or another, which is no impediment concerning the Wilson plant, thanks to the expertise of Yeoman and Bosarge. As plant engineer and maintenance superintendent respectively, they not only maintain, but also improve new and existing pieces to ensure bacon-processing efficiency for one thing, and cost reductions for another.  “We reinvent the wheel a lot,” Bosarge quips. “The only thing we don’t change is the light bulb in original machines. If what we want has not been built, we do it ourselves. Our packaging systems, for example, operate with ten locally devised upgrades.” Full PLC (programmable logic control) is the next step, he adds.

With 45 years in the industry, all of them on the pork processing sides, Yeoman’s experience is established in coordinating and keeping facilities running.  He represents the “big picture” leg of the operation. He recently came up for air after leading the charge to “work out the bugs” in a new packaging system in time for a September rollout of a new custom product. “The work between supplier and customer is a good example of the interesting dynamics not seen to the level that this customer brought to the situation,” notes Chad Baker.

The 45-year-old facility looks more like a college campus — due in part to the extensive covered walkway leading to the exit — than a traditional meat- manufacturing site. In 1992, Smithfield Foods’ Smithfield Packing Company division acquired the facility, built in 1959 basically to function as a kill-and-cut operation. Previous owners included Swift and Company, Dinner Bell, and John Morrell acquired by Smithfield in 1996. The Wilson facility remained idle until Smithfield’s one-year joint venture with Johnsonville Sausage Company placed it back in action. Smithfield’s capital expenditures at the site since 1998 total more than $13 million to finance facility and equipment upgrades.

“This is truly a state-of-the-art facility,” Price brags. “We work together individual skills to foster an environment that promotes the principles of teamwork, adapting to change, superior service, and growth.” NP

Based on proverbial wisdom, it takes a village to raise a child. Carrying that thought process into the world of commerce finds that it takes the commitment, dedication, and know-how of a team of professionals to turn a profit. This is especially true concerning the food production side of commerce where regulatory, marketing, and distributions protocols play a major role in shaping business goals.

The team of 504 professionals spearheading and executing each phase of production at Smithfield’s Wilson, NC, division share responsibility for turning pork bellies of various sizes into bacon at the rate of 3-million pounds per week. They are not merely professionals. They are specialist. They make bacon. The process involves curing, smoking, chilling, pressing, and slicing. The bacon flavor is derived from different formulations designed for delivering product combinations in the double-digit range. To be sure, bacon production is no ordinary process. Moreover, creating several varieties of bacon seems unlimiteds, attested by products produced in Wilson to include various slicing specifications from regular to thick, flavors such as brown sugar and cracked peppercorn, and lower sodium and fat for healthy attributes.  

“We process with seven different pickle formulations to achieve the desired flavor profile for our customers,” confirms Phillip Price III, plant manager. “Our mission is the consistent production of quality-defined bacon products at the lowest possible cost, which results in the highest value and customer satisfaction.”

A critical step in bacon production involves the curing process using pickle or brine as the agent. “Without the right cure there is no flavor profile and bellies won’t perform well across the board,” Price points out. “Each step is important, but if the curing process is off the product won’t hold together down the line.”

Thanks to their individual expertise — whether at the management level, on the product production side, food safety and quality assurance realms, or equipment and building maintenance projects — VA-based Smithfield’ bacon brands are gaining marketing strength in the retail and foodservice arenas. Its Wilson, NC, operation epitomizes the parent company’s growth strides in retail bacon processing and distribution. The plant works with 17 retail-slicing lines and two stack-pack slicing lines, marking a significant increase from its operating status in 1997 with four lines.

“It [success] starts with proper staffing, training, employee relations, and customer service,” notes Carey McKeithan, human resource manager, who transferred to the Wilson plant from Smithfield’s flagship plant in Tar Heel, NC. “New employee acclamation is critical so we offer a longer training period.”

 As McKeithan notes, spending essential time on the front end showing how the entire operation works ensures that employees fully understand company rules and policies. This empowers them with a “more in-depth” knowledge base that ultimately benefits Smithfield customers. “We work on aligning ourselves with internal business needs and our customers,” McKeithan confirms. “HR used to be perceived as not adding to the bottom line directly, but that is no longer the case. Low employee turnover means lower cost.”

Ashley Fardy, accounting manager, not only tracks the plant’s performance, she also develops the framework for product pricing. She is the critical link between operations and sales, interjects Chad Baker, Smithfield’s assistant vice president, packaged meats sales. Fardy says her job is about attaching value to “all we do. Sales takes my numbers to determine profit margins.” Since no two bellies are alike, the task is far from simple. Fardy, however, points to extensive training that prepared her to accurately assign costs for bellies based on their individual structures.

McKeithan and Fardy serve on the Wilson division’s offensive team in charge of positioning the operation to score with retail customers and consumers. Meanwhile, defensive moves take place in production where the team calling the plays, besides Price as plant manager, includes Marvin Peterson, first shift plant superintendent; Wilson Yeoman, plant engineer; Victor Bosarge, maintenance superintendent; and Marty Triplett, quality assurance manager.

“Everything boils down to consistency,” Triplett emphasizes. To that end, the plant operates under a QA program comprised of 33 control points starting with the arrival of raw material and ending only when the final product leaves the plant. “We exceed expectations by starting the process during the initial job-training phase,” Triplett reports. “That helps product quality and product sales. The key is the various quality issues that are measured online to make sure customer specifications are met.”

Four boxes per line per hour undergo random inspection to detect defects such as those related to film dating, tux dating, label errors, product in wrong box, and presence of cartilage or bone. The tolerance level is low to zero. Product failing in-house inspection for any reason is thoroughly evaluated before being reissued for QA inspection prior to shipping.

“By involving line workers makes quality everybody’s job,” Triplett says. A Certified Packer Program (CPP) begun in 2001 not only serves as a tracking system, but is also a condition of employment. By signing the agreement, individuals on the packaging line accept responsibility for ensuring final product is packed error free. Based on the CPP document, the signer (packer) is the last line of defense and, as such, is held accountable for anything that may fall through the cracks upstream in the process.  

In an industrialized society automation and mass production represent keys to the kingdom of commerce. By the same token, the architects of production at Smithfield’s Wilson plant created an environment for specialization — bacon specialization. The walls of the plant, no doubt, are filled with memories of earlier days when products created there came from pork and beef sources to produce hams, franks, sausage, and fresh meat cuts. Nowadays, the only SKUs rolling out of the plant describe varieties of bacon. The daily process begins with the delivery of skinned and trimmed bellies from a sister plant in nearby Tar Heel, primarily. “The major challenge relates to coordinating the process to ensure on-time production and shipping,” Peterson notes. “Thankfully we have a good management team.” Bellies are cut, trimmed, and shipped within two days of kill. “Our goal is to process them five days after kill,” says Peterson, a 22-year industry veteran, who joined Smithfield five years ago. Concerning goals, Peterson and others find themselves in the throes of experiencing the impact of adapting to change as pledged in the division’s mission statement. A new retail customer, who remains nameless for this report, agreed to carry Smithfield bacon if it meets certain specifications. “This request imposed an extraordinary adoption of new packaging requirements,” Peterson reports. “That meant re-training and re-education for everybody involved. But the kinks are finally out and we are close to full scale production.”

Sometimes production kinks can be blamed on equipment in one way or another, which is no impediment concerning the Wilson plant, thanks to the expertise of Yeoman and Bosarge. As plant engineer and maintenance superintendent respectively, they not only maintain, but also improve new and existing pieces to ensure bacon-processing efficiency for one thing, and cost reductions for another.  “We reinvent the wheel a lot,” Bosarge quips. “The only thing we don’t change is the light bulb in original machines. If what we want has not been built, we do it ourselves. Our packaging systems, for example, operate with ten locally devised upgrades.” Full PLC (programmable logic control) is the next step, he adds.

With 45 years in the industry, all of them on the pork processing sides, Yeoman’s experience is established in coordinating and keeping facilities running.  He represents the “big picture” leg of the operation. He recently came up for air after leading the charge to “work out the bugs” in a new packaging system in time for a September rollout of a new custom product. “The work between supplier and customer is a good example of the interesting dynamics not seen to the level that this customer brought to the situation,” notes Chad Baker.

The 45-year-old facility looks more like a college campus — due in part to the extensive covered walkway leading to the exit — than a traditional meat- manufacturing site. In 1992, Smithfield Foods’ Smithfield Packing Company division acquired the facility, built in 1959 basically to function as a kill-and-cut operation. Previous owners included Swift and Company, Dinner Bell, and John Morrell acquired by Smithfield in 1996. The Wilson facility remained idle until Smithfield’s one-year joint venture with Johnsonville Sausage Company placed it back in action. Smithfield’s capital expenditures at the site since 1998 total more than $13 million to finance facility and equipment upgrades.

“This is truly a state-of-the-art facility,” Price brags. “We work together individual skills to foster an environment that promotes the principles of teamwork, adapting to change, superior service, and growth.” NP