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Efficient People Solutions
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Case Study
Captor integrates scheduling and payroll management for Tropicana
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| Tropicana in Belgium |
| Since 1998, Tropicana has formed part of PepsiCo, a global leader in prepared meals, food products and soft drinks. Tropicana
Europe is headquartered in Brussels (Belgium), and produces and distributes a series of well-known brands in Europe such as
Tropicana, Dole, Fruvita and Loóza. The company is market leader in France, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Ireland. In Belgium,
Tropicana Europe has production facilities at Borgloon and Zeebrugge.
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Tropicana's Borgloon site handles the mixing and packaging of "not from concentrate" (N.F.C.) and "from concentrate" (F.C.)
juices and fruit nectars for Loóza and Tropicana. The end products are then exported throughout Europe as well as to North
America. With a workforce of 200, Borgloon also handles warehousing and supply chain distribution of N.F.C. juices to other
production sites in Europe.
On the new Tropicana site in the area behind Zeebrugge port, about a hundred people warehouse and package fruit juice imported
from Florida. The frozen juice is transshipped and then delivered to Borgloon and to the Tropicana Hermès site near Paris,
or transformed on site into semi-manufactured products, packaged in cartons and exported to Scandinavia, the UK and Central
Europe.
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| Payroll management in a complex environment |
| Fruit juice may seem like a simple product, yet production and distribution involve operations that are far more complex than
squeezing an orange for your breakfast when you have time. From harvesting, pressing, concentrating and pasteurizing to storing,
shipping, reconstituting the concentrated juice by adding water and flavouring, and finally bottling or packaging, this whole
process involves many distinct operations. And there is also a vast range of products for different brands and different tastes.
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| This complex process is carried out by staff with a very wide range of jobs, working in flextime using different scales and
pay rates. At the same time, the personnel can vary over time according to work peaks and troughs.
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| Previously, Borgloon used classic time clocks to record work time. The data was processed and checked manually, and then sent
to the staff administration service. This manual method was slow and required a multi-person team.
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| At the end of 1999, after a period of product line expansion and the introduction of flexi-scheduling, Tropicana decided to
computerize all work time administration. The company already used Captor systems in France to manage work time and was extremely
satisfied with it. So after analysing the situation, Captor was hired to equip Tropicana's sites in Belgium.
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| Captor, a perfect partner for Tropicana |
| "Tropicana's specifications were very ambitious, especially when it came to integration," recalls Kris Van Laer, Sales Manager
Belgium for Captor. "SD Worx, Tropicana's staff administration service, used a complex application to manage the payroll.
And Tropicana itself draw on a set of very rich data for calculating overtime, shift-work bonuses, week-end work and so on.
We also had to factor in flextime periods for which the calculations covered hours clocked in and out outside schedules.
Our customer wanted very close integration between work time management and payroll, in order to boost productivity and efficiency
while cutting down on the risk of error."
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| "This integration was absolutely essential," confirms Kristien Elsen, HR Manager Benelux, "and I certainly understand that
it wasn't easy. During the first year running the system, we worked in stages to build and consolidate what we had achieved.
We were always able to rely on Captor to help us in this, and they provided the right specialists to analyze and solve problems
with us. After a year, the application was ready, and today it only needs a single system administrator to check on the recorded
hours and click them over to the staff management service, where they can be immediately incorporated into the pay sheet."
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| Other components of the Captor system did not require so much customizing and were installed and configured using the usual
procedures. In Borgloon and Zeebrugge, Tropicana now has Captor terminals and management software using a centralized SQL
database for 400 users. The whole system is managed by just four people. In the future, Tropicana plans to shift towards decentralized
management, so that department heads can themselves access the system to quickly handle the schedules of their immediate staff.
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| Due to the flexibility of implementation of Captor products, the two Belgian sites chose different development tracks. "In
Zeebrugge, we began by installing an access control system," explains Kristien Elsen. "With a Captor OMNI installation - a
dozen badges readers, peripherals and the management software - we were able to ensure the security of the full 35,000 sq
m. of the packaging facility. This system tells us exactly who is present in the premises and who is not. Everyone can freely
access the areas they need to go for their work, but not any others. Note that although access control is a security device,
it is also a major safety support - if there is an emergency we know exactly where people are and can act more quickly. In
the second phase, the Zeebrugge site also installed a work time recording system." The Captor system meets Tropicana needs,
which involve extending the scope not just of the access control equipment but also other applications.
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| "When it was acquired by PepsiCo in 1998, Tropicana grew to become a major market player. Generally speaking, we started
working in a more targeted but also more transparent way. This development had a special impact on our relations with suppliers.
Since we were looking for maximum efficiency, we became a very demanding but not unreasonable client," Kristien Elsen believes.
"I see our relationship with Captor as positive, especially since our partner is prepared to listen to what we need and deliver
a rapid response. You feel they are very service and cooperation-oriented. This has meant excellent communication, which enabled
us to complete the integration of the software at Borgloon." Kris Van Laer agrees: "For us, Tropicana was an interesting challenge,
and we are still investing deeply in this project. But it is satisfying work, since we have good relations and clear targets.
Which is why we want to help our customer think about how to reach the expected results." In the medium term, Tropicana also
intends to completely integrate payroll administration at Zeebrugge. "We don't plan on stopping in the middle of the journey!"
says Kristien Elsen.
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