Client: Unilever Indonesia — FMCG/Manufacturing Industry Services: Custom Software · Data Analytics Year: 2024 Technology: PHP, MySQL, Data Analytics
Background
Unilever Indonesia is one of the largest Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies in Indonesia, operating multiple production lines that produce household and personal care products for both domestic and export markets. As a company holding FSSC 22000 (Food Safety System Certification), Unilever must ensure every product leaving its factories meets strict quality standards consistently across all production facilities. Accurate and documented quality management is not just an internal need — it is an international certification requirement.
Challenge
Quality management processes across Unilever Indonesia's production lines faced several serious obstacles:
- 16 paper-based workflows: Quality checks still relied on paper forms filled out manually by inspectors on every shift, resulting in documentation inconsistencies across facilities and shifts
- Difficult to maintain standardization: With multiple production lines operating simultaneously, ensuring each line consistently followed the same quality standards was a major challenge
- No real-time visibility: Plant managers could not see quality status in real time — information was only available after paper forms were collected and processed
- Time-consuming compliance audits: Preparing documentation for internal audits and external certification bodies like FSSC 22000 required manual compilation from stacks of paper documents
- Quality trend analysis impossible: Quality data scattered across paper forms could not be systematically analyzed to identify defect patterns or process deviations
Solution
GTM built the Product Quality Standard (PQS) system, a web application that digitizes and standardizes Unilever Indonesia's entire quality management process.
Digital Quality Checklists
Converted 16 previously paper-based quality workflows into interactive digital checklists. Inspectors complete checks on-screen with guided prompts, mandatory fields, and photo attachments — ensuring every step is documented consistently across shifts and facilities.
Multi-Stage Product Approval Workflow
Quality inspection results are routed through a multi-stage approval chain. Products must pass all defined criteria before receiving release authorization. Non-conforming items are flagged and held automatically, preventing unapproved goods from reaching distribution.
Real-Time Quality Dashboard
Plant managers and quality leads receive a live overview of inspection pass rates, defect categories, and line-by-line performance. Visual indicators highlight areas needing attention, enabling rapid response to emerging quality trends.
Data Analytics and Trend Analysis
Historical quality data is aggregated to reveal patterns in defect occurrence, seasonal variation, and process drift. Analytics views support root cause analysis and continuous improvement initiatives aligned with Unilever's global quality frameworks.
Complete Audit Trail
A tamper-evident log of every inspection, approval decision, and corrective action is maintained. Reports can be generated on demand for internal audits and external certification bodies — streamlining the FSSC 22000 compliance documentation process.
Development Process
- Quality process audit: Mapping all 16 existing paper-based quality workflows and identifying digitization opportunities
- System design: Architecting a solution supporting digital checklists, multi-stage approval workflows, and data analytics
- Iterative development: Module-by-module construction starting with digital checklists, followed by approval workflows, dashboard, and analytics
- Data migration: Transferring historical quality data into the new system to enable trend analysis from day one
- Training and rollout: Training inspectors and quality managers at each production line, followed by a phased launch
Results
- 40% reduction in manual quality effort — from paper processes to a far more efficient digital workflow
- 30% decrease in quality incidents across participating production lines
- 16 quality workflows successfully digitized into interactive checklists
- FSSC 22000 compliance reporting that previously required manual compilation can now be generated instantly
- Real-time visibility into quality status across all production lines through a centralized dashboard
- Quality trend analysis enabling proactive identification of defect patterns and process deviations
Technology Stack
- PHP — Backend framework for business logic and approval workflows
- MySQL — Relational database for quality data storage and audit trails
- Data Analytics — Data aggregation and visualization for quality trend analysis