Changeovers
Filmed, timed and rebuilt with the operators who do them. A bakery line going from forty minutes to twelve between products is normal.
Operations consultant · food manufacturing · Aarhus
More good product off the same line, before you buy another machine.
I'm Henrik Dahl. For twenty years I have helped bakeries, dairies and ready-meal plants with fifty to five hundred staff find the capacity hiding in changeovers, cleaning cycles and planning. I spent the first half of my career running factory floors, so I start on the line with your shift leaders, not in the boardroom.
Booking site assessments for the first quarter.
A typical first twelve weeks
- Weeks 1–2
- On the floor, every shift
- Weeks 3–6
- Two changeover trials
- Weeks 7–12
- Plan handed to your team
Where the lost hours usually are
Most plants I visit have fifteen to twenty-five percent more capacity than they think. It is rarely in the machines.
Planning and finished goods
Production plans that match what the trucks actually take, so the cold store stops filling with the wrong pallets.
Shift leaders who run the day
Short daily meetings at the line, with three numbers on a whiteboard instead of a forty-tab spreadsheet.
Cleaning in place
Cleaning cycles shortened safely, with your hygiene manager signing off every change and swab results to prove it.
Audit readiness
Food safety paperwork that lives where the work happens, so audit week is not a week of overtime.
Capital decisions
A second opinion before you sign for a new line, based on what the current one could do with better planning.
Twelve weeks on your line, not in a slide deck
- 01
Days 1–10 on the floor
I walk every shift with team leaders, time changeovers and photograph where pallets wait. No recommendations until I have seen a full production week.
- 02
Two changeover pilots
We rebuild the two slowest product swaps with the operators who do them, film the steps and publish a one-page standard each team can train from.
- 03
Planning board in the hall
Production, hygiene and maintenance share three numbers updated every morning: what ships today, what is stuck and what needs a decision before lunch.
- 04
Handover to your leads
Week twelve ends with your shift leaders running the new routines without me in the room, and a one-page metric sheet they actually fill in.
Associates I bring in
Most projects are just me. When a plant needs a specialist, I work with a small group of independents I have known for years.
- Ingrid SørensenFood safety and hygiene, former quality manager at a dairy
- Tomás VargaMaintenance and reliability engineer
- Lotte BrandtProduction planning and ERP set-up
Results across recent engagements
- Median capacity gain without new equipment
- 18%
- Average reduction in changeover time
- 62%
- Plants in Denmark, Sweden and northern Germany
- 47
- In food manufacturing
- 20 yrs
Career
Ten years running production, ten years advising it.
- 2015 – now
Independent operations consultant · Henrik Dahl Rådgivning
Twelve-week engagements for bakeries, dairies, ready meals and confectionery, usually with a single site.
- 2010 – 2015
Plant manager · Kornmark Bakeries
Ran a 240-person bread and rolls plant on three shifts. Took on-time delivery from 88 to 99 percent.
- 2005 – 2010
Production engineer, then shift manager · Vestmejeri Dairy
Cheese and yoghurt lines. Learned that the night shift always knows where the problem is.
Plant managers and owners
“Henrik spent his first week on our night shift. By week six we had cancelled the order for a second oven.”
“He made the operators the experts on their own changeovers. They still film and time them without being asked.”
“Our auditor asked who had rewritten the cleaning records. I was happy to say it was our own team, with Henrik's help.”
Before you book an assessment
What does an assessment involve?
Two days on site across all shifts, then a written summary with the three biggest opportunities and a fixed quote for the work.
How are you paid?
A fixed fee per engagement, agreed after the assessment. No percentage of savings and no surprise day rates.
Do you work outside Scandinavia?
Mostly Denmark, Sweden and northern Germany, where I can be on site within a day. I speak Danish, Swedish, German and English.
Will my staff feel watched?
I explain the project to every shift myself on day one. People who run the line help design the changes.
Running out of capacity before the busy season?
Book a two-day site assessment. You will know within a fortnight whether the answer is a new machine or a better plan.
Office and site visits
Shared office by the harbour, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Office calls Monday to Thursday, 08:00–16:00
- On site at client plants most Fridays
+1 (312) 555-0151