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The case study

The Barcode Warehouse has provided a UK award-winning cheese manufacturer with an RFID tracking solution that has boosted productivity by 30%.

It may seem that cheese-making and RFID technology are worlds apart, but in this case study you'll see how even the age-old art of cheese-making, a traditional manufacturing process, can be significantly improved with the innovation of RFID technology.


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Benefits summary

Overall productivity has been increased by 30% through a combination of benefits delivered by our solution: 

  • Waste Reduction: Less product wastage due to more accurate monitoring
  • Revenue growth: Less wastage resulted in more product available at the end of the process
  • Process efficiencies: Swapping manual recording processes for digital tracking and reporting
  • Increased product quality: Removal of human error meant the product quality was optimised
  • Return on investment: ROI achieved in just a matter of weeks

What were the challenges the business was facing and wanted to address?

The turning of cheese is critical to this cheese maker’s manufacturing process and enables the producer to maintain the quality its products are known for.
The process involves turning a cheese stack 180 degrees, the frequency of turning varies depending on the type of cheese and the desired aging process. Younger cheeses may require daily or even twice-daily turning to ensure even moisture distribution and prevent sticking. Older cheeses might be turned less frequently, every other day or even once a week, as they mature and develop their rind.
Turning the cheese stack ensures that all sides of the cheese are exposed to the same conditions (temperature, humidity, air circulation) during the ripening process. This promotes even mould growth and flavour development throughout the cheese. For blue cheeses like Stilton, turning helps distribute the blue mould evenly throughout the cheese. The mould spores, introduced during the cheesemaking process, will grow more uniformly if the cheese is regularly turned.
Therefore, the cheese blocks require regular turning to prevent drying out and potential waste. Given the high value of each block (often thousands of pounds), and their storage in large units on pallets (16-24 per unit), even small losses can have significant financial consequences.
Until recently, the process was entirely manual and wholly reliant on team members who would turn the cheese stacks in a very specific time window.

Process before:

  • Manual process: Cheese ripening was entirely managed manually.

  • Reliance on human intervention: The process heavily relied on team members to physically turn the cheese stacks within specific, critical time windows.

  •  Limited visibility & tracking: Progress and actions were documented on a handwritten board located within the storage facility. This offered limited visibility into the ripening process, making it difficult to track progress, identify potential issues, and ensure consistency.

  •  High risk of human error: Manual tracking and execution were prone to human error, such as missed turning schedules, inaccurate record-keeping, and inconsistencies in handling.

  •  Impact on product quality: Errors in the ripening process directly impacted product quality. Inaccurate turning could lead to uneven ripening, mould growth, and ultimately, the need to discard affected cheeses, resulting in significant product loss and revenue loss.

  •  Inefficient resource allocation: The manual process was time-consuming and labour-intensive, requiring significant manpower to monitor and then execute the ripening process. This inefficient allocation of resources hindered productivity and increased operational costs.

  •  Lack of data-driven insights: The absence of a centralised, digital system prevented the collection and analysis of data related to the ripening process. This limited the ability to identify trends, optimise processes, and make data-driven decisions to improve efficiency and quality.


What were the solution requirements?

Losing stock to a manual error, while infrequent, could cost tens of thousands of pounds in lost product. Additionally, product quality is a key priority. Not willing to compromise on the quality they are known for, the award-winning cheese manufacturer sought a solution that would ensure that quality in the long term. They turned to The Barcode Warehouse to find a solution that would modernise and improve the cheese turning process.

What solution did The Barcode Warehouse implement and how does it work?

The Barcode Warehouse product experts evaluated the market looking at various RFID solutions that would work for the business’ specific challenges. We recommended Zebra Technologies RFID hardware based on the suitability to help solve this challenge.

A Dedicated RFID tracking solution

After an initial test system showed the desired results, the solution was installed and configured by The Barcode Warehouse using a Zebra FX9600 RFID Reader, with UHF-polarized industrial antennas located at specific cross points and within the barrel-shaped inverter that turns the cheese. Each antenna is fitted inside a sealed wall-mounted cabinet with a Perspex window. Other materials may have a negative impact on the ability of the antenna to register the passing of the reader, which Perspex doesn’t, hence its inclusion. Whenever the readers on each end of the barrel complete a rotation and pass the antennas, a turn of the cheese is registered and logged in the system.

The overall solution was chosen for the simplicity of the software development kits (SDKs) and resources and the ease of working with Zebra’s RFID products. The innovative solution now tells the workers, through alerts, when a cheese stack has not been turned, and action is needed.

How has The Barcode Warehouse helped the award-winning cheese manufacturer overcome these challenges?

Improved data collection, production consistency and profits 

With the RFID solution installed, the cheese manufacturer can see the exact times of stack turns and whether a necessary turn has taken place. This allows the business to collect accurate data that helps improve product quality.

They are now able to turn cheese stacks more accurately in precisely the right time window resulting in productivity gains of roughly 30%. Because they have a greater insight into the manufacturing processes and know when turns need to take place, the result is less product wastage, meaning profit loss is a thing of the past. In fact, the solution has been so effective that the return on investment (ROI) was achieved within weeks.

By addressing the business’ specific challenges, the resulting RFID solution now provides:

  • Automated critical processes: Automated key aspects of the ripening process, such as turning schedules and monitoring, reducing the risk of human error and ensuring consistency.

  • Improved data collection and analysis: Implemented a digital system to track key metrics, such as temperature, humidity, and turning schedules, enabling data-driven decision-making and continuous process improvement.

  • Enhanced product quality and reduced waste: Minimised the risk of errors that can impact product quality, such as uneven ripening or mould growth, leading to reduced waste and increased yield.

  • Increased efficiency and productivity: Streamlined the ripening process, freeing up valuable labour resources for other critical tasks and improving overall operational efficiency.

  • Gain better visibility and control: Provides real-time insights into the ripening process, enabling proactive identification and resolution of potential issues.


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