I'm excited to share that I've resigned from my role as Quality Control Manager at Ace Farm and Feed Mill, effective November 30th, 2024.
During my tenure, I'm proud to have contributed to the company's growth, with sales increasing from 90,000 tons when I joined to over 250,000 tons monthly within my 18 months stay.
As I move on to new challenges, I'd like to share three key takeaways that can benefit emerging entrepreneurs and companies striving for quality and rapid sales:
1. Raw Materials Inspection: Ensuring the quality of raw materials is crucial. Implementing robust quality checks can prevent issues like contamination, which can impact sales and even lead to safety concerns. I recall a situation where a "trusted" supplier added sand to their commodity to increase weight and profit. This highlights the importance of having a system in place to detect such practices.
2. Appearance Matters: A product's appearance significantly influences its perceived value. I've seen firsthand how improving the appearance of our feeds led to increased customer satisfaction. A happy customer even shared a photo of our improved product, showcasing the impact of attention to detail. By understanding the impact of each ingredient to the overall properties of the complex feed matrix such as the binding property, swelling property, water and oil absorption, texture, smell among others; adjusting formulations accordingly and conditioning the extrusion process for optimum output, companies can achieve a premium look that retains customers' trust and reliability.
3. Scaling and Measurement: Accurate measurement is vital to maintaining good quality output. Implementing a regular scale calibration system and using appropriate scales with reading accuracy having small margin of error for measurement can ensure quality consistency and significantly reduce costs. For instance, I was able to reduce the reading accuracy of our essential materials from 10g to 0.1g by implementing an effective scale calibration system and using a different scale with a small margin of error. This led to significant cost savings. Let me illustrate with a practical example:
Suppose a company produces 50 batches of formulated ingredients per day, and each kilogram of an essential raw material costs 4,000 naira. By improving the reading accuracy from 10g to 0.1g, we could save:
9.9g x 50 batches per day x 25 working days = 12,375g = 12.375kg
The monthly cost savings would be:
12.375kg x 4,000 naira/kg = 49,500 naira for each raw material.
This amount can make a significant impact on a company's bottom line depending on its capacity.
I'm grateful for the experience and opportunities I had at Ace Farm and Feed Mill. I appreciate the support from my colleagues, family, and friends.
As I embark on this new chapter, I'm excited to pursue my passions and make a meaningful impact in my future endeavors.
#newchapter #careergoals #qualitycontrol
