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Digital work instructions for the food industry

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In short

Digital work instructions for the food industry turn cleaning instructions, hygiene checklists, allergen changeovers, line clearance and HACCP checks into steps on a phone or tablet at the line. Operators confirm each check, enter temperatures and take photos as proof, and every run is stored with user, time and version, so you can show an inspector what was done.

In food and beverage production, a skipped cleaning step or a missed allergen check can end in a recall. Clear instructions at the line and a record of every check keep food safety from depending on memory.

With the Work Instruction App you write your cleaning, changeover and inspection procedures once, with photos of your own line, and publish them as work instructions. Operators open the right one by scanning a QR code at the machine and work through it step by step, also when they are new or temporary.

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What it looks like in the app

A digital work instruction being carried out: steps list, measured value and approval of the first part
Run mode: one step at a time, with the measured values and checks the instruction asks for.
A work instruction step on a phone: safety checks, order number and machine
On the shop floor: large buttons and fields on a phone or tablet.
The work instruction editor: steps on the left, blocks such as checklists and input fields in the middle

Cleaning instructions and hygiene checklists

Describe each cleaning task per machine as steps: what to dismantle, which agent at which concentration, the contact time, rinsing and the visual check afterwards. A photo of the clean result shows everyone what clean looks like.

  • Checkboxes per cleaning point, marked as required, so Next only works when every point is confirmed
  • A photo block for proof of the cleaned parts, taken with the phone or tablet
  • A signature at the end of the cleaning, stored with the run
A step in run mode with two half-width blocks next to each other

Allergen changeover without skipped steps

When a line switches from a product with an allergen to one without, the order matters: remove product and packaging, clean, inspect, and only then release the line. Put that sequence in a work instruction and make the checks required, so nobody finishes the changeover with a check left open.

  • Each step shows the area to clean with a photo of your own line
  • A selection field for the allergen of the previous and the next product
  • A required training block: a colleague without the certificate for that job profile cannot carry out the changeover (see the skills matrix)
Starting a work instruction: published instructions as tiles with search, favourites and QR/NFC scan

Line clearance and label check

Before a new batch starts, the line has to be free of the previous product, its labels and its packaging. A QR code at the line opens the line clearance as a checklist: a confirmation per zone, a photo of the empty line, the batch number and a check of the label on the first products.

  • Scan a QR code or NFC tag at the line to open the right instruction
  • Record batch and lot numbers in a text field or with a barcode scan
  • A photo of the first label as proof of the label check
Details of a completed run: start and end time, duration, user and the recorded values

HACCP checks with values and corrective actions

Record core temperatures, cooling times and other control values in number fields. Give the field a minimum and maximum: a value outside the range stops the run until it is corrected, and the corrective action in the same step tells the operator what to do. You set the limits and review the records yourself.

List of completed runs with date, user and status

Records ready for an inspection or audit

Every completed run is stored with the user, the start and end time, the version of the instruction and every answer, photo and signature. Filter the completed runs by work instruction, user and period to show an inspector or a customer auditor what was cleaned and checked, and by whom.

  • No more searching through folders of paper lists
  • Older versions of an instruction stay traceable after a change, see version control
  • A paused run reopens at the page where it was paused, with all answers kept
Skills matrix in the Work Instruction App: per user and job profile a tick, a cross or not required

New and seasonal staff work to the same standard

Food plants often work with seasonal and temporary staff. Photos and short videos per step explain more than a long text, and courses linked to work instructions show in the skills matrix who has been trained for which task.

Typical work instructions in a food plant

Before production

  • Start-up hygiene check of the line and the changing room
  • Line clearance with a photo of the empty line
  • Allergen changeover with required checks

During and after production

  • CCP checks such as core temperature, cooling and the metal detector test
  • Label check on the first products of a batch
  • Cleaning and disinfection per machine at the end of the shift

Frequently asked questions about work instructions in the food industry

For the checks you carry out as steps, yes. A number field records the temperature, required checkboxes make sure no point is skipped, a photo shows the situation and a signature closes the check. Every run is stored with user, time and version. Your HACCP plan itself stays your own document: the app records the checks, it does not do the hazard analysis.

A number block can have a minimum and maximum. A value outside that range is marked and the operator cannot go on until it is corrected, so put the corrective action in the same step. The app sends no e-mail per deviation: a run with a deviation gets a label and a filter in the runs overview, and the dashboard shows deviations per week.

Mark the checkboxes, photos and the signature in the changeover as required: Next and Finish only work when they are filled in. Add a required training block so only colleagues with the right certificate can carry out the changeover, and put a QR code at the line so the right instruction is always at hand.

The app itself is available in English, Dutch and German, and each user chooses the language. The content of a work instruction is written by you in one language; there is no automatic translation. Use photos and short videos with one short sentence per step, or publish a version of the instruction per language.

Yes. Filter the completed runs by work instruction, user and period. Each run shows who carried it out, the start and end time, the version of the instruction and every answer, photo and signature that was recorded.

Yes. Give the work instruction a schedule with the times of the check (for example 06:00, 14:00 and 22:00), the weekdays and a grace period. When no completed run exists in time, the managers get a task and an e-mail for that missed check.

Sources

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