Case Study

Kraft Heinz is the world’s fifth-largest food company with over $1 billion in brands. In the UK, its main factory is in Kitt Green, Wigan, producing some of the nation’s most-loved brands. Spanning a staggering 55 acres, the factory buildings cover a 3-mile radius. The Kitt Green factory is the largest Kraft Heinz production facility in the world and one of the largest food processing plants in Europe.

Samsic provides critical services like janitorial work, cleaning, security, landscaping, and catering at Kitt Green. Health, safety, and cleanliness are paramount for safe food production on such a vast scale. Maintaining quality standards poses an endless challenge that Samsic helps address.

Following a successful tender process, where Samsic was proven highly capable of being able to manage the cleaning, security, and catering services required by Kraft Heinz, Samsic needed to initiate a workforce of 106 employees and mobilise new contractual commitments, whilst ensuring a smooth transition.

The Challenge

Managing the transition of 106 employees into the Samsic workforce and implementing a new contract within one of Europe’s largest food production plants posed a substantial challenge due to the scale of work involved. 

Employees at Kraft Heinz, having been accustomed to working under the previous service provider for a considerable period, were understandably apprehensive about the changes that the introduction of Samsic might bring. Concerns were related to potential alterations in working hours, pay structures, overall job satisfaction, and adjustments in their working processes and conditions. 

Addressing these concerns and building a rapport with the new team was crucial for Samsic. Equally important was ensuring that all information was accurate and readily available to streamline administrative functions such as payroll and shift patterns. Establishing a connection and alleviating fears was a challenge due to the substantial team size of 106 members, many of whom worked non-standard hours during evenings or weekends. 

An additional challenge was in ensuring that throughout the transitionary period between the previous incumbent and Samsic, quality standards and safety was maintained throughout the site processes. As new working structures and processes are launched, it is imperative to maintain staff morale and ensure that a working knowledge of what the site requires is passed to Samsic management. By understanding how the site is cleaned, and by ensuring all areas are sufficiently covered in a period of uncertainty, Samsic can work to not only maintain standards but exceed them. 

The Solution

To provide Kraft Heinz with a quality and efficient service as quickly as possible, an initial mobilisation meeting was held with Kraft Heinz management. The objectives were to: 

• Introduce the mobilisation project team who would be responsible for managing the TUPE process, 
• Plan and agree key dates and milestones to be integrated into the mobilisation plan, 
• Finalise Service Level Agreement and Key Performance Indicators,  
• Identify key risks and discuss contingency plans, 
• Request TUPE employee liability information from the incumbent supplier, 
• Confirm contract commencement, 
• Arrange weekly mobilisation meeting with key stakeholders.  

Following this meeting, the project team then created a master mobilisation plan to incorporate all stages of the contract, and this was shared with the client and key stakeholders within Samsic UK and updated on a continuous basis.  

The mobilisation project team was strategically composed to encompass the diverse skill set required to manage the full mobilisation and TUPE process. Specialist operations personnel were combined with supervisory support, risk and assessment auditors, HR, health & safety management, training & development, procurement, and finance management.  

An appointed Project Executive oversaw the wider mobilisation team and managed the process overall. With multiple business functions incorporated in the mobilisation team, the core business and contract functions were supported by specialists appropriate to different transition needs. With core business support functions supported; understanding, knowledge, transition, and business improvement took place. 

With the mobilisation team in place, Samsic efficiently conducted weekly progress meetings with Kraft Heinz, facilitated employee consultations, provided comprehensive welcome packs to transferring staff, scheduled regular meetings accommodating all shift patterns, and organised a ‘drop-in surgery’ for equipment and uniform organisation while addressing transferring staff concerns. 

Individual consultations were also held with each of the 106 employees, granting them access to the Samsic confidential HR helpline for any enquiries or support needs. Each individual additionally received a formal written letter detailing the transfer’s reasons, the date of employment transfer, and any associated measures. 

On the official transfer date, a ‘Welcome to Samsic Group’ induction was conducted, warmly welcoming everyone to the team. Within the first month post-transfer, a month-1 payroll surgery ensured accurate payments, an employee engagement survey established a baseline for agreement, and training commenced on ‘the Samsic Way,’ focusing on quality and requisite processes. 

At Samsic, the well-being and satisfaction of team members are prioritised. Recognising the potential unsettling effect of change, the mobilisation project team maximised all opportunities and initiatives to address concerns and misunderstandings. Complete transparency in the process is key in alleviating any apprehensions felt by the employees and to ensure a smooth transition.