Engineering new mindsets

Tetra Pak must give customers what they want. World Class Engineering will help the company do just that, by focusing on its people, practices and processes.

Over the past few years Tetra Pak has made significant changes in the way it operates. Even so, this has not been enough to deliver what its customers want. A different way of thinking is urgently needed. Tetra Pak must give customers what they want – and do it faster, better and cheaper than the competitors.

It’s all about the customer

“In the past, Tetra Pak often developed what it thought was possible, rather than developing what the customers wanted,” says Mehmet Kalay, director of the Innovation and Engineering Excellence Group. “Only a customer-focused approach can give us the leaps we need in order to meet customers’ needs.”

Customer research and feedback has repeatedly highlighted the same requirements: the need for better performance from more robust machines and the need for higher production efficiencies. And customers needs all of that, now.

Mehmet says he is confident that World Class Engineering (WCE) will help the organisation deliver on these requirements. In practice, WCE aims to significantly reduce development time and improve robustness and product quality.

The three Ps

WCE works by combining “the three Ps”: people, practices and process. Competence development enhances the skills of the key people in product development – the engineers. Cross-industry best-practice procedures, methods and tools supplement the strong engineering skills. The right process helps engineers guide product development to achieve breakthrough innovations.

Tetra Pak’s goal is to have 80 percent of its engineers WCE-certified by 2010. Through its combination of people, practices and process, WCE will help Tetra Pak maintain a leadership position.