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T. q. R. T - AG'MMDA. TTEM 1 0 (A ISrPT. 6TH
MprTING
TMPrRTAT. TOBACCO T-IMITrD - CANADA
,NTAMJFACTURING
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Basically, our philosophy is to utilize available
technology and
work with suppliers to further its application or
potential in
our environment. We get involved into in-house
design as a last
resort.
Our policy in manufacturing oroduction equipment
is to duplicate
and standardize our selection across our
production floors.
This philosophy and set of policies have served us
well in our
vary successful facilities/products
rationaliZation programs as
well as proven to be a good support in the
improvement/
maintenance of our quality, manufacturing unit
cost edge over the
opposition and our improved market share over the
past several
years.
Tn carrying out this philosophy, we have enlisted
the
participation and contribution of our work force
through training
and sharing of information. We also have been
heavily involved
with our machinery suppliers i.e. Slide and Shell
Packs almost
unique to Canada.
We compare favourably if one uses the yardstick
of:
Quality
Output per manhour
Flexibility
Unit cost
obviously, volume favours us in lowering unit
cost.
over the next three to five years, we plan the
total replacement
of our OLT facilities in Aylmer and Lamina line in
Guelph with
the latest available technology. Once completed,
we will have
substantially improved process control, higher
overall tobacco
yield and much improved quality which will surpass
the
competition.
our efforts, over the years, in the secondary
sector, making and
packing, coupled with our replacement program of
OLT facilities
in Aylmer and Lamina line in Guelph should give us
a
technological edge over the competition.
Equally important, in our opinion, and stated
above is the
application and management of this hardware on our
production
floors. This is where we believe we differentiate
ourselves from
the competition in the gathering, analyzing and
sharing of
information with the employees.
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As you know, we have always viewed our People
Asset as our
greatest asset and our key strategic advantage.
Hence, people
management through training, sharing of
information eta. is the
key to our success and our ability to respond to
marketing needs
in the marketplace.
In summary, we believe, once our replacement
program completed,
that we have a definite technological and people
management
advantages over the competition.
With suppliers: for example, Gravure printing for
packaging:
- Better quality
- Lower costs.
MARKETTITG
There are two specific examples of information
technology
application here at ITL that may be relevant to
this conference.
The first is the use of P.C.'s at the field level
to provide
information about the total retail environment, to
function as a
management tool for the territory representative
and the
development plans for further enhancements of this
tool.
The second is the use of a computerized inventory
management tool
currently being tested in the Mid-West region.
TOBACCO
In regard to leaf processing improvementst
presently we are
planning studies in our Aylmer facility on
different leaf
threshing methods for particle-size improvements,
the outcome of
which will impact on the planned Aylmer processing
facility
upgrade. However, at the present time there is
nothing
specifically identified from this area.
In regards to the DEER process, we are now further
validating the
use of increased tobacco level - DEER product
(i.e. 81% vs 75%)
into Imperial's major blends with no blend
reformulation required
when the DEER product is used as a replacement for
PCL. There are
no apparent subjective differences of DEER
relative to
replacement of PCL, with the exception of some
marginal
subjective improvement. We anticipate that our
DEER processing
facility with 2 - 150 kg/hr extruders will be
commissioned and
ready for production purposes in one year's time.
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BAT Industries document for Province of British
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GrN7RAT.
We also make extensive use of computer hardware
and software in
areas such as consumer research, inventory
management and
customer service levels, Accounting, Production
Planning, etc.
In these areas, especially consumer researcht we
are definitely
substantially ahead of our competitors.
JILM: Pt
August 1991
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BAT Industries document for Province of British
Columbia 25 October 1999