Shaping food services to fuel the future of manufacturing

The manufacturing environment is evolving fast, and so is its workforce. Sodexo’s US CEO of Corporate Services and Energy & Resources, Joe Ganci, explains how food services are adapting to shore up employee retention, wellbeing and talent attraction, and why planning ahead can unlock huge efficiencies.

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By Joe Ganci Chief Executive Officer Corporate Services, Energy & Resources, Government and InReach North America

Productive plants run on happy people

Visit a high-tech factory today and I bet you two things jump right out. Number one will be its scale: a vast site running 24 hours to produce anything from medicines to EV batteries. Number two will be the degree of automation, with just as many skilled workers looking after the machines as using them.

These developments have left manufacturers struggling to retain good people and sustain high output without a big jump in cost. You might not think of food services as a direct solution to this problem but, done right, food services can help to square this circle by ensuring that people feel valued even on the tightest of budgets. For example, when a work restaurant environment and menu is thoughtfully planned and placed to prioritize employee needs, employees notice and feel that their employer cares about their wellbeing.

The ultimate hospitality challenge

I’ve built my career on making spaces feel special. And what I learned in restaurants I’ve taken with me everywhere from corporate offices to offshore rigs: each guest deserves a great experience. The environments and price points may be really different, but the principle holds true. People return to places where they feel noticed, valued and supported.

Creating that experience in a manufacturing environment throws up all kinds of challenges. There’s long shifts without the long lunches. Breaks taken up by half-mile walks. No phone in your pocket to pre-order when time is tight, and probably no signal either. Yet when you track the consumer journey from start to finish, like we have, you can get creative and get it done. Hot food is highly valued by manufacturing workers and we have a variety of solutions to which help hot food is accessible to everyone, from central kitchens and delivery carts to pre-order terminals.

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Arriving ready for anything

Grabbing a coffee on the way to work is one of life’s great pleasures. But after a long drive to the factory or plant where you work, you might still face a long walk from the parking lot to the floor. Any benefit from that coffee you had at home is long gone.

We spotted this issue at one of our client’s facilities and came up with a cost-effective solution. Working through the business case together, we arranged for a source of power and water and built a container café in a spot where people walk right past. It’s proved hugely popular, with workers telling us that they start their day with a different mindset.

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Maximizing precious break time

Breaks provide a chance to step back and recharge, but once you’ve removed your protective gear and made it to your locker to check your phone, it’s almost time to go back. To keep teams connected, and production running smoothly, employers need to make every second count.

Our approach is to bring food experiences closer to where they’re needed. That might be through a hub and spoke model, where a central production kitchen delivers to carts that serve all sides of the floor. Or by installing pre-order terminals so that hot food is always ready when they are. These kinds of innovations don’t just bust the queues, they also make these moments feel like a personalized perk. Far too often clients build for efficiencies with a centralized food solution but it’s a decentralized solution which best supports the people in the facility. When you bring the service to the people, not the other way around, this optimizes user accessibility, improves quality of life, drives better overall satisfaction and better commercial results.

Of course, for maximum impact, you need great taste too.

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Serving diverse appetites, day and night

Manufacturing is a global endeavor – no matter where a plant or factory is based. To feel they belong, diverse teams want food that reflects their preferences. That means honest cooking, good value and a whole world of flavor.

Our Kitchen Works food brand has been precision engineered for these environments. Its chef-prepared global dishes are full of fresh and nutritious ingredients that care for busy teams around the clock. Like for CAE USA in Tampa, Florida, where we turned limited options and short opening hours into a 24/7 food experience that works for every shift. It’s about resetting the balance between day and night and recognizing everyone’s contribution to efficient operations.

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Optimizing efficiency by design

Serving great food efficiently takes serious planning.

At a basic level, it needs production space, power and water. It needs the right layout so that people have the time to feel good while they buy it and eat it. And it needs the right tech – like easy consumer apps and AI-enabled menu planning to avoid over-production and minimize cost. These frictionless delivery models give time back to workers so they can get real rest between shifts.

As every plant manager knows, retrofits cost more. It’s why we’re partnering with our clients as they redevelop or relocate their sites, ideating the right approach – from water to WIFI – and considering all five senses to release food’s full potential by design. Factory workers have tough jobs and are mission critical to a company’s success. With better overall planning at the front end, you can dramatically enhance their workplace experience. A more energized workforce will give you higher productivity and a long-term better return on investment.

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Making everyone feel like an asset

For some time now, our clients have been conscious of the workplace experience gap between their HQs and their plants. They know that food isn’t just about what their teams eat, but about how they feel when they eat nutritious food which fuels their performance.

Our response is to deliver in a hospitality-enabled way. To think about the guest experience as a whole and to consider where a change might generate a return, even on a shoestring budget. As automation continues to reshape the industry and reset the balance between the office and the production floor, we’re always ready to serve food that puts a shift in.

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Joe Ganci is CEO of Corporate Services, Energy & Resources, Government and InReach for Sodexo in the U.S. and sits on the board of the Society of Hospitality and Foodservice Management.