i3 - SustainableFoodManagement

It is the aim of the project to develop a model of sustainability management for a company of the meat processing industry. The management model includes strategy development, goal setting, evaluation of achievements of goals and support to the operationalisation of the model in form of an IT-system. The model is designed and implemented for the production processes of the company in year 1, and in the further years for the whole company and the value chain of the company.

Short Description

Status

completed

Summary

The project at hand has a planned duration of 3 years. The final goal of the project is the definition and strategy of sustainable development for a company of the meat processing industry. The company evaluates all aspects of sustainability related to the company and its environment. The flow of information within the company and between the company and other actors (customers and suppliers) is supported by a tailor-made IT-system.

To achieve this final aim, a number of questions have to answered throughout the project:

The first question asks for the nature of sustainability of the company (What is sustainability?).

How and to what degree does sustainability rely on the consideration of/co-operation with/embeddedness into the workforce/suppliers/customers/partners/region (Who is part of sustainability?)

Following the question which actors are relevant for the sustainability of the company is the question which aspects of the company's activity are sustainability related. Which criteria, goals make sustainability concrete (What is part of sustainability?).

When goals are set and relevant aspects of management identified, the questions of quantification of the achievement of goals arises (How can sustainability be measured? How can assessment and evaluation be put into practice in strategy and operative business?)

Beside the organizational implementation the question of technical implementation arises. An IT system contributing to the implementation of the management model is developed (Which IT system can contribute to the sustainability of the company?).

Year 1 of the project focuses on the core processes of the company and therefore the results of year 1 answer the questions enumerated only partly. The following steps have been taken in year 1:

Analysis of the core processes: the production processes of the company have been analysed according to the aspects economy, ecology and food safety and quality. Process models have been designed. Sustainability relevant factors have been ascribed to process steps and products. The sustainability relevance of the processes ahs been analysed.

Analysis of indicators: ecological, economic indicators as well as indicators for the evaluation of food safety have been analysed from the viewpoint of corporate sustainability. The methods in use at the company have been screened. Key performance indicators for the core processes of the company have been derived. The interdependencies between the different factors have been shown.

IT systems analysis and data acquisition: The IT systems of the company have been analysed. On the basis of the analysis of processes and indicators, the requirements for an IT system have been derived. A data model and a software prototype have been designed.

Project Partners

Project management

DI Dr. Jochen Gassner
AUDIT SoftwaregmbH

Applicant

Schirnhofer GmbH, Fleischwarenfabrik

Project and cooperation partners

Hygienicum GmbH
Institut für Lebensmittelchemie und -technologie der TU Graz
Dr. Ingrid Perz
Gerhard Rose
Archimedes OEG
intact Consult Lebensmittelsicherheit GmbH

Contact address

DI Dr. Jochen Gassner
AUDIT SoftwaregmbH
Radegunderstraße 43, A-8045 GRAZ
Tel.: +43 (316) 83358816
Fax: +43 (316) 8335884
E-Mail: jgassner@audit.at

Schirnhofer GmbH, Fleischwarenfabrik
Kaindorf bei Hartberg Nr. 298, A-8224 Kaindorf bei Hartberg
Tel.: +43 (3334) 31310