Project context

The main challenge: ensuring rigorous and comprehensive monitoring, while paper forms were often filled out incompletely or at the wrong frequency, without it being easy to notice. The work of the person responsible for quality was heavy and tedious, and the preparation for regulatory audits required a lot of time and energy.

The decision to adopt Paperless Forms came from the need to gain efficiency, structure follow-ups, and simplify document management. Quality was the first department to implement the tool, then other teams such as packaging, receiving, and production gradually joined in, as the benefits became evident in daily operations.

Challenges

When she arrived at Boulart, Brigitte Gariépy joined a quality team that was still being structured. The company faces a demanding environment: rapid growth, increased regulatory requirements, and the need to demonstrate compliance during audits present daily challenges. In this context, the tools and processes in place quickly revealed their limitations. Structuring activities and ensuring rigorous quality monitoring became priorities, but several obstacles hindered the team’s effectiveness:

• Quality department in development:
  Working methods had to be built, and the organization of the department was still being consolidated.

• Manual tools and follow-ups:
  Controls and inspections relied on paper forms, sometimes to be filled out every hour. Traceability was difficult, and verifications were long and tedious.

• Complex audits and certifications:
  Preparing for an audit or aiming for SQF certification involved gathering scattered data. Without a centralized system, certification audits represented a major challenge.

• Limited access to information:
  To find specific data or prove training, one had to consult paper archives, sometimes going back several years, which slowed down responsiveness.

• Lack of resources:
  Few staff were available to follow all requirements, which increased the workload.

In this context, the need for a digital tool became obvious: centralizing data, structuring follow-ups, and simplifying daily management became essential to support quality and accompany Boulart’s growth.

A tailored and collaborative adoption

The implementation of Paperless was carried out step by step, starting with targeted training for two team members. This initial core enabled the launch of digital forms, and expertise gradually spread to the whole department, even as people left and returned. Today, every member of the quality team uses an iPad to perform inspections throughout the day, add photos directly to forms, and consult data in real time.

Certain people, like Francine, quality supervisor, have become references for their colleagues, ensuring the creation of new forms and continuous improvement in collaboration with Datahex. This skills transfer happened naturally, facilitated by an intuitive interface and tailored support.

Impact on daily work and quality culture

The integration of Paperless Forms within the teams transformed the approach to quality at Boulart. Far from remaining an administrative task, quality has become an active approach, experienced daily on the floor.

• Increased presence on the floor:
  Technicians and quality managers move around with their tablets, entering inspection data as they go, making them more visible and accessible to production teams.

• Stronger connection with operations:
  The proximity of quality managers facilitates direct exchanges with operators, fostering a better understanding of realities on the floor.

• Interdepartmental collaboration:
  Quality observations recorded in real time open the door to regular discussions with engineering, maintenance, and production, strengthening the culture of collaboration.

• Recognition and involvement of teams:
  Employees are encouraged to report deviations, propose ideas, or adjust procedures, which feeds collective engagement.

• A tool perceived as support:
  Paperless is seen as a facilitator of daily work, never as a control tool, which has encouraged its adoption and long-term appropriation by all teams.

Concrete benefits

Beyond the organizational aspect, the use of Paperless Forms has had a direct and measurable impact on the performance and efficiency of the quality and production teams.

• Significant time savings:
  The time needed for daily document analysis dropped from about 20 minutes to only 5 minutes, allowing the team to refocus on field monitoring, training, and continuous improvement projects.

• Reduction in material losses:
  Trend analysis, particularly regarding dough consistency, enables quicker adjustments and limits losses.

• Production line optimization:
  The reduction in rejects and improved operational performance are made easier by better data management.

• Increased responsiveness:
  Real-time data entry enables immediate reaction in the event of a deviation or incident.

• Easier shift handover:
  Information is always accessible, avoiding omissions, repetitions, and ensuring better team continuity.

• Strengthened on-the-job training:
  Observations are discussed directly with teams in their work context, promoting learning and the spread of best practices.

Why go Paperless?

For Boulart, moving to a paperless system quickly became necessary to overcome the limitations of manual processes. As the company grew, managing quality and food safety with paper forms or spreadsheets became cumbersome and unreliable. The risk of lost documents, errors, or delays complicated compliance.

By switching to digital tools, Boulart has made quality management more reliable and allowed teams to focus on continuous improvement.