Making sure everyone has their Christmas fondue
Hustle and bustle in fondue production: Roland Leuenberger and his team are working at full speed in the run-up to Christmas, with the fondue from Langnau heading to festive tables here in Switzerland and all over the world, including South and North America, South Africa and even Asia.
‘Before the festive season, things are hectic for us,’ says Roland Leuenberger, team leader at Emmi’s production site in Langnau. At the moment, Roland and his nine-strong team pack more than 90,000 fondue flat pouches a day.
‘We only pack Gerber fondues for Switzerland. There are also thousands of stand-up pouches, most of which go for export. And, of course, there’s the one-serving fondue in a microwave cup – around 33,000 of these go out each day for Switzerland and export.’
Teamwork makes the dream work
The Fondue Packing team works closely with the Fondue Melting team, one up in the production chain. The Fondue Melting team starts work at five o’clock in the morning, so that from quarter to seven the first pouches reach the Fondue Packing team via the conveyor belt.
‘We are responsible for ensuring that our system is set up correctly and that the pouches end up in the right kind of box. We have 90 different cardboard packaging options,’ explains Roland. The full boxes are then sent to the logistics team.
No run-of-the-mill job
The days when everything had to be packed and put on a pallet by hand are long gone. The new packaging plant requires technical know-how.
‘My colleagues have the new plant under control. They can even deal with malfunctions and minor maintenance work on their own. It’s no longer your run-of-the-mill job,’ said Roland.
A close-knit team
‘It is important that the pace of work is right and that we always complete orders on time. It is also important to me to treat everyone fairly and to make sure that everyone in the team is comfortable,’ emphasises Roland.
The relationship between them is good. So good that there are even two couples within the team and three other employees are in relationships with someone who also works at Emmi’s Langnau production site. ‘This is unusual,’ says Roland with a smile and adds proudly: ‘and almost all of them have been working for Emmi in Langnau for 20 to 40 years.’
“Our job is no longer a run-of-the-mill job, it requires technical know-how.“
Winning teams
The example of the Fondue team at Langnau is not unique. Emmi fosters a working culture that enables all employees to work together well and demonstrate a high level of commitment. Employee development is firmly anchored in our strategy as another way of ensuring that our business stands the test of time. Emmi offers its employees many development opportunities and attaches great importance to modern management and organisational methods.
