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CHAPTER-3

Production- Distribution Interface and Managing the Pre-Despatch Activity 46-62

Production Process 46-50

Product Packaging 51-57

Hygiene of the Manufacturing System 57-61

Maintenance of the Finished Product at the Manufacturing point 61-62

Conclusive remarks Pre-Despatch Activity 62-63

fRODUCTION-DISTRIBUTION INTER FACE

AND MANAGING THE PRE-DESPATCH ACTIVITY

46

During this study, the production facilities ofthe companies like Vadilal Ice Cream,

Ahmedabad, Amul Ice Cream ( Production facility at Vododara and Mother Dairy

Gandhinagar), Dairyden and Havmore Ice Cream at Ahmedabad were visited in person

and also the relevant literatures were scanned to derive at the following observations.

The production process and the pre-despatch activity from the manufacturing point have

a large bearing on the subsequent stages of distribution activity up to the level of final

consumption. Especially, in case of the short shelflife product like ice cream, the process

of production, quality, hygiene ofrnanufacturing, maintenance of finished product and its

packaging would determine, very largely, the life of the product in the distribution chain.

Keeping this premise in min~ the study has looked into:

1. The production process

2.Product Packaging

3.Hygene ofManufacturing System

4.Maintenance of the Finished Product at the manufacturing point.

PRODUCTION PROCESS :

The manufacturing process of ice cream has been found to consist ofthe following

fundamental steps which in simple terms could be described as follows:

Step-1: Preparation oflce Cream Mix : In this stage the ingredients like cream, \\'ater,

sugar and other sweeteners, colouring and flavouring agents, stabilizers and emulsifiers

are dissolved and mixed in an unfrozen stage. In modem manufacturing systems, the mix

is then homogenized, standardized and pasteurized.

47

Step-2: Semi-Freezing the Ice Cream Mix: This is the stage where the ice cream mix is

semi frozen and air is whipped into it by a Freezer. Here the ice cream mix freezes at 27-

28 degree Fahrenheit.

Step-3 :Fruit Feeding: For ice creams with fruit and nut pieces, at this stage the small

and ground pieces of fruits and nuts are injected into the semi frozen ice cream. For plain

flavoured ice creams like vanilla, strawberry, pine apple or mango flavoured ice creams,

this step is not required.

Step-4 : Extruding and Pack~ing : In this step the semi fro~en ice cream is extruded

from the freezer and filled into different packaging containers.

Step-5: Hardening: Here the semi frozen and packed ice cream is hardened by a blast

freezer at a temperature of -25 to -45 degrees Fahrenheit. Here the ice cream freezes to a

temperature ofminimum-15 degree Fahrenheit usually within 8-12 hours of duration.

Step-6 : Storing the finished Product: After hardening , the finished product of ice cream

ready for sale, is stored in a Deep Freezer or Walk-in Freezer at a temperature in

between -10 and -20 degrees Fahrenheit ( -22 and -40 degree Celsius).

TYPES OF PRODUCTION PROCESSES :

There have been two major types of manufacturing processes adopted in the ice cream

industry for commercial scale of operation viz:

1. Batch Freezing Process

2. Continuous Freezing process

Batch Freezing Process: Synonymous with its nomenclature, this process produces ice

cream in batches. It is used by individual ice cream shops, ice cream parlours or small

chain of ice cream shops ( 2-3 shops) who sell their ice cream exclusively from their

retail shop or ice cream parlour or their small chain of ice cream shops in the same city

and the scale of operation is sm~ll. Some of the prominent and rt:puted examples are

'Dairy Den' ice cream in Ahmedabad and 'Nirula's' in Delhi. Of course there are a

48

number of such ice cream manufacturers in each city, who operate from their own outlets.

Some of the large size hotels such as 5-star or 4-star hotels who serve their own ice cream

to the customers, use the batch freezing process.

The batch freezing process requires a small production space of 300-800 square feet. It

has a compact Batch Freezer of minimum 60cms width, Q4cms depth and 130cms height

(the size varies according to the manufacturer of the equipment). This is a simple and

compact unit to operate. A small size batch freezer can produce 12-15 gallons of ice

cream per hour and there are bigger ones which can produce;L.?-30 gallons per hour ..

Followed by batch freezing, the process involves blast freeziug(hardening) and storage in

the deep freezer.

Reasons for Choosing Batch Freezing Frucess:

During the study, five(5) such small ice cream manufacturers--cum- retailers namely:

i) Dall'yden, Ahmedabad

ii) Nirula's in Delhi

iii) Patel Ice Cream, Ahmedabad,

iv) Pestonji, Bombay

v) Maganlal Ice Cream, Rajkot

who were visited and interviewed, have confirmed their reasons for choosing a batch

freezing process which could be generalized as follows:

l. The batch freezing equipment costs less than the continuous freezing

equipment.

2.Since the production is in batches, it allows taste testing and correction in

between production.

3 .It gives the flexibility to a small operation to create many flavours in a short

period of time without spending lots of time setting up the production with use

of small quantity ofthe ice cream mix.

Brands and Manufacturers ofBatch Freezers:

It was revealed that a good quality equipment makes the product strong and thus its

subsequent distribution Management becomes less problematic under normal

49

circumstances. In India, although some of the local engineering firms are manufacturing

batch freezers, they are not as efficient as the imported ones. A few Indian names which

has come to notice during the study are:

l.Dashmesh Industries, New, Delhi

2.Dairyden Engineering, Gandhi Nagar.

We had tried to find out the details of good quality batch freezers and some of the world

famous brands ofBatch Freezers with their details are given below in Table-13:

Table: 13 Famous Brands and Models of Batch Freezers

Manufac-turer Model Capadty/type

Kelvinator VIIC26 Single Door

Kelvinator VHC48 Double Door

Traulsen RIF l-34HUT-BF Single Door

Traulsen Rif-2-34HUT -BF Double Door

Masterbilt IHC-27 Single Door

Masterbilt IHC-48 Double Door

Emery Thompson IONW 12-15 Gallons/hour

Emery Thompson 20NW 25-30 Gallons/hour

Emery Thompson IONW 50 Gallons /hour

Continuous Freezing Process:

The Continuous Freezing Process of manufacturing is used for large scale commercial

production and marketing of ice cream. This process consists of continuous freezing

production, online packaging and hardening line. The minimum production requirement

for considering adoption of continuous freezing process is 150litres per hour ( 40 gallons

per hour).

In India, the large manufacturers of reputed brands of ice cream, who have been observed

during the study, such as 'Kwality Walls', 'Vadilal', 'Mother Dairy', 'Amul' and

'Havmore' are using continuous freezing method. The major issues which the

manufacturers consider to address by choosing the continuous freezing method are :

1. Uniformi!y of the product: The finished product is more uniform because of the

volume ofproduction.

50

2. High Production Level : The continuous freezing permits higher production levels

per hour basis and there is no need for stops needed to fill and empty a batch freezer.

3. Flexibility: The Continuous Freezers can be attached to different processing machines

to produce various pack variants such as cups , cones , tubs and bulk packs.

4. Labour vis-a vis Skill: In case of batch freezing, it requires recurrent filling and

emptying. The personnel of Continuou.~ fr~zing process should be more skilled and

competent since this is a more sophisticated and more involved process than batch

freezing.

5. Overrun: It is quite easier to adjust and control the Overrun on a continuous basis.

6. Hygiene and Sanitation: A continuous freezer can be sanitized easily through a

Cleaning-in-place( CIP) system.

It is evident that for the purpose of catering to the market at regional or national level ,

Continuous Freezing process of manufacturing is the choice.

As reported by Mr.Bharat Bhushan, Ice Cream Consultant, in Dairy India,l997( pp-243),

the Capital investment for an ice cream unit with a freezing capacity of 150 litre/hour

which would be a minimum size of. continuous freezing process, would be around R.s.60

lacs while working expenditure would exceed Rs.94 lacs per year. Such a unit could be

expected to generate Rs.l28 lacs of gross sales, assuming 100 % sales for five months in

a year and declining sales in the rest seven months. The Gross Profit from this sales

would be around Rs.34 lacs and Net Profit before tax would be to the tune ofRs.20 lacs.

This observation leads to the fact that Ice Cream business could be a viable and profitable

business after employing appropriate technology and scale of operation.

51

PRODUCT PACKAGING:

For the purpose of effective distribution management, proper packaging of the product is

of utmost importance. Poor packaging would not only cause damage of the product, but

also, it will ruin the business. In case of perishable products like Ice Cream , the

packaging is like its body guard. The better the packaging, the stronger is the product to

travel uninjured in the long distribution chain.

The pack variants oflce Cream found in the market are as follows:

1. Cups

2. Cones

3. Small Card Board Packs

4. Bulk Card Board Packs

5. Plastic Tubs

l.CUPs: The Ice Cream cups~ of50 mlor IOOml Size. The cups are made ofwax

paper or PVC (food grade). The paper cups are found to be a poor packaging material

although they are bio-degradable. Most of the times, it was found to be weak and soggy

with seepage and spillage of the product, giving it a very poor and unhygienic look. The

PVC cup is sturdier and clean, it maintains the shape well and holds the product well.

The Paper cup has a flat paper lid. The PVC cup has either a flat paper lid or a PVC Lid

covering the cup. It was observed that the flat paper Lid slips out easily with slight

loosening of the frozen and hardened ice cream and there is spillage of the product, where

as the PVC lid stays tight and acts as a very good protection for the ice Cream. The paper

cup is cheaper than the plastic cup by 30% in price, however plastic cup js the right

choice from distribution and all facets of marketing point of view. In Plastic cup, the

product is observed to be very secured in the distribution chain.

This contention is derived from the following observation:

For the purpose of observation, 10 out lets were chosen at Random (irrespective of the

brand of ice cream ) in Ahmedabad city and 10 cups of ice cream in Paper cups and

1 Ocups of ice cream in Plastic Cups were eJG"~mined at each outlet. The results were as

follows (given in Table-14):

Table -14: Comparative Strength ofPlastic Cups Vs. Paper Cups of ice Cream

Criteria of Paper Cups Plastic Cups

Observation Number Percentage(%) Number Percentage(%)

Total cups 100 100 100 100

Soggy cups 42 42 7 7

De-shaped cups 53 S3 0 0

Lids slipped .. 39 39 4 4

Spillage of ice Cream 28 28 1 1

52

Among the Brands of ice cream under study, Vadilal and Havmore are the two brands

who have been selling ice cream in Paper Cups in addition to their recent adoption of the

plastic cups. The other Brands such as Kwality Walls, Amul, Sugam and Mother Dairy

use Plastic Cups only since inception knowing the demerits of the paper cups.

2.CONEs: An ice cream cone is an eatable like a biscuit. It is of conical shape and

usually it contains 1 OOml of ice cream. It bas a flat paper lid and the cone is wrapped with

paper or thin foil. A cone is also a safe packaging device except that ice cream spills out

and it becomes soggy, if it is exposed to high temperature and handled roughly. All the

major brands, Kwality Walls, Amu~ and Vadilal market cones in the indian market.

There was no significant difference among the cone packs of these brands excepting the

stze.

3.SMALL CARD BOARD PACKS: The small card board packs are used for packaging

of 500ml (called as fumily pack) and 1 OOOml (called as party pack) bars of ice cream.

Further smaller cardboard cartons are used for packaging of choco-bars or ice cream

dollies. The cardboard packs are made of outer laminated or non-laminated wax paper.

All the major brands have such card board packs. While, Kwality Walls, Vadilal, and

Havmore are using non-laminated wax paper boards for packaging, Amul, Sugam and

53

Mother Dairy are using laminated wax paper boards. It was obse-~"Ved that the lamina~ed

paper pack was much sturdier than the non-laminated packs.

Similar to the study on Cups, an observation was made on 100 packs of non-laminated

paper boards with 100 packs oflaminated paper boards randomly taken from the 10 retail

outlets selected at random in Ahmedabad. The comparative observation is given below:

Table: 15 COMPARATIVE OBSERVATION ON LAMINATED VS. NON-LAMINATED PAPER

PACKS.

Observation Laminated Paper Packs Non-Laminated Paper Packs ..

Number of Packs Percentage(%) Ntimber nf Packs Perci ... >ntage (%)

Total Packs 100 100 100 100

Found Soggy 2 2 31 31

Spillage on Packs 1 1 16 16

De-shaped & weak 0 0 13 13

In fact, it was observed at all the retail outlets that the non- laminated paper packs used to

be very soggy and looking dirty. The Laminated Paper packs of Amul used to be clean

and had very limited spillage. While the cups, are packed in secondary cardboard cartons,

these Paper packs are used as stand alone packs. Therefore, Laminated \\"3X paper pack is

most suitable for this purpose.

4.BULK CARD BOARD PACKS:

In ice cream business parlance, a pack size is considered to be a bulk pack which is 4

litres of ice cream. Like 500ml or 1000 ml packs (Family Packs or Party Packs), the bulk

pack is packed in a rectangular laminated/non-laminated cardboard box (except Bakin

Robin who uses a round pack). Amul uses a laminated wax paper carton for bulk pack,

where as others use non-laminated wax-paper cartons. It was observed that Baskin

Robbin uses the best cardboard box for its bulk pack. Its bulk pack has a cylindrical non

laminated and strong cardboard box without the chances of leakage or spillage. In case of

all Indiana companies under study, it has been observed that there is lot of spillage of ice

cream from the bulk pack since it is packed with just the card board box as primary

packaging without a secondary package. This observation is supported by the data

presented in the table-I6 here below by examination of I 00 Bulk Packs of all Indian

brands under consideration at the 1 0 randomly selected retail outlets at Ahmedabad.

Table: I6 EXAMINATION OF BULK CARD BOARD PACKS FOR STRENGTII

Number of Bulk Packs Examined 100

Number of Bulk Packs had spillage and sogginess 62

Percentage ofPa1..ks had spillage and sogginess(%) 62

The 62% sogginess or spillage is a very severe damage and deficiency from the

distribution point of view. However, contrary to this fact, when we examined 20 Bulk

Packs of Baskin Robin ( I 0 from their out let in Ahmedabad and I 0 packs from their

outlet in Bombay) there was nil spillage and damage ofthese packs.

54

The bulk Packs are used for Scooping( serVing in scoops) ice cream in a party, in a ice

cream parlour and in any hotel or restaurant. Therefore, the spillage and sogginess have

been tolerated by the customers. However it would be prudent to improve the packaging

of the bulk packs for the long term interest of the business and the learning can be made

from the packaging of Baskin Robin.

5.PLASTIC TUBS: Plastic Tubs are a new innovation for packaging of ice cream. In

India, Amul ice cream has started selling its Utsav variety of ice cream in plastic tubs of

750 ml or I litre. In this pack, the product is absolutely safe and the chances of spillage or

the pack getting damaged in course of handling is ruled out. Amul campaj.ns it as a

reusable tub for other household usage and it has been well accepted by the consumers.

The plastic tub is the most costly packaging material, however, it is a safe pack and the

product remains in the hygienic and good condition all through the distribution chain.

55

During this study it has come to our notice that the B::;eau oflndian Standards( BIS) has

standards of specification for waxed cartons for packaging icc creams. The extracts from

these standards are reproduced here after.

Indian Standard Specification for Waxed Cartons for Packaging of Ice Cream

( IS:7162-1973)

It ~ a fact that waxed paper cartons are largely used for packaging of ice creams in India.

The Bureau oflndian Standards(BIS), in its Standard No. IS: 7162-1973 has defmed the

specification of waxed paper cartons for packaging of ice cream. It is also mandatory that

these specifications are met under Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954. The

relevant p

56

wax. It shall not have any residual odour, when tested, after waxing, as prescribed in 7 of

IS: 4006( part-II) -1972. In order to prevent ink set ofT, a coating of an edible starch may

be applied to the surface of the printed board by spraying.

Coating Materials

Wax: The wax for coating the board shall be extra refmed paraffm wax conforming to

Typel ofiS: 4654-1968 with melting point not lower than 60 degree C.

Varnish nad Lacquer: The material used shall have no toxic eiTcct.

Adhesive

The adhesive used to form and seal the carton shall with stand a temperature of -35

degree C and shall be non-toxic.

Odour and Taint

The composition of the board, ink, coating materials and adhesive shall be such as not to

have any deleterious effect on the flavour, odour and appearance of the product packed.

Toxicity

The composition ofthe board, ink, coating materials and adhesive shall be such as not to

introduce into the product packed any substance which is injurious to health or which

might otherwise lead to infringement of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954

and the regulations made thereunder.

Dimensions:

The recommended inside dimensions of the cartons are as follows:

!}imcnsion 300m! Carton 500ml Carton 1 000 ml Carton

Length in mm 113 153 152

Width in mm 75 97 97

Height inmm 38 38 76

A tolerance of plus or mmus 1.0 mm shall apply to the above dimensions.

Yl

Deep-Freezing

The waxed board carton shall withstand deep-freeze conditions ( -35degreeC) for a period

of30 day~.

Pre- Folding

In order to produce suitable forming of the carton, the pre-folding shall be such that the

glue seams are square and glue spots are absent.

HYGIENE OF THE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM

First of all, ice cream is a mass consumed foodstuff. It is extremely perishable and inost

V'Jlnerable to contamination. When a consumer is buying this food item, not only he

considers ihe taste and palatability which motivates him for the purchase, but also he

assumes that it would be safe for consumption. Hygiene of the manufacturing system

would ultimately reflect on the quality of the final product. A best quality ice cream that

can genera~e business recurrently can not be produced only from quality ingredients; it

requires ;:~. sufficiently hygienic manufacturing system.

In a study, conducted by M/s. S. Ramakrishnan, K.Selvaraj and R.Meenakshi Devi

repored in Indian Dairyman, 38,5,1986 with the title, 'Ice Cream. How Good it is for

your Health, You think', the authors have reported that onlylO% ofthe samples drawn

from various ice creams sold in Coimbatore City were found to confirm to the standards

specified by Bureau of Indian Standards ( IS 2802-1964) with regard to Standard Plate

Counts and 23% of the samples could confirm to the standard with regards to coliforms.

All samples were below the standard limits for Staphylocuccus aureous, a pathogenic

bacteria, indicating high level of contamination. Previously also, in a number of studies

on the Bacteriological quality of Ice Cream conducted on different parts of India, it was

reported about very poor quality of ice creams sold in India.( Krishna et al., 1944; Raj et

a!., 1962, Suryanarayan Raoand Dudani, 1962; Patel and Vyas, 1971; Thatti er a!., 1972~

Bhatia and Rao, 1972; Ajab Singh et al.; 1977; Raja Lakshrni,l983).

58

Since to a large extent the ice cream is manufactured in Small Scale unorganized sector,

there could be wide scope for compromise on a hygienic manufacturing environment.

During tr.e present study, the author had visited 3 small ice cream manufacturing units at

Rajkot, the largest city in the western Guarat, where there was prima facie compromise in

the hygienic standards in the manufacturing environment.

During the visits to the manufacturing units of the large corporates like Vadilal, Amul

and Havmore where automatic units are installed, apparently there was a satisfactory

hygeinic environment.

In course of its manufacture, packaging and distribution, the ice cream is vulnerable to

microbial contamination from a number of sources which include, the raw materials used

as ingredients, processing and freezing equipment, containers and packaging materials,

and also persons handling ice cream. lee cream being a milk product, is an excellent

culture for growth of the micro- organisms. Many species and strains of micro organisms

which include pathogenic and toxin producing types as well, enter into ice-cream and

some oftrem grow when the product is exposed to the atmospheric temperatures and, as

a result, the product becomes potentially harmful for human consumption. All the

manufacturers were of the opinion that, it is essential to take the following major steps to

make a high quality and contamination free ice cream:

1. All time maintenance of high standards of sanitation at all stages from

production to distribution of ice cream.

2. The ice cream mix consisting of its ingredients should be put to efficient

pasteurization process to kill all the pathogens before freezing.

3. Sufficient precaution has to be taken to prevent second level contamination

during its freezing , packaging , storage of finished goods and its distribution.

4. All personnel engaged in the manufacturing system at each stage whether it is

production, packaging, storage and despatch should he well aware ofthe

hygiene and must put into practice.

The Bureau oflndian Standards, in its standard IS: 5839-1970, defmes the Code for

Hygienic Conditions for Manufacture, Storage and Sale of lee-Creams. Some extracts

form these codes are given below:

General Factory Hygiene:

Wherever possible, waste and rubbish shall be collected in covered receptacles and

shall not be allowed to lie about on the floor.

59

Adequate measure shall be taken to prevent mould growth on equipment and internal

structures of processing and storage rooms. Adequate steps shall he taken to prevent

infestation of cockroaches and other household pests.

When Pesticides are used, care shall be exercised to prevent contamination of

equipment, raw materials and packing materials. Under no circumstances shall

insecticides be used during processing.

Floors and drains shall be kept clean. In processing room. Drains shall be provided

with detachable covers.

On no account shall the process room be used or converted to a storeroom for raw

materials. Only the items required for processing on a particular day shall be kept in :',

the process room.

No lavatory, sink, cesspool, or garbage shall be so situated or maintained that odours

or fumes therefrom pervade any room where the product or raw materials arc

prepa1ed or stored.

Pro:-'er places shall be provided for storage ofhrooms, brushes, and other cleaning

gear.

The factory effluents shall be disposed of in a hygienic manner and shall not be let

off on road or adjacent fields.

Window glass and light fittings shall he maintained clean and dust free at all times.

There shall be no cobwebs in any part of the unit. Birds and domestic animals shall

nol be allowed in any purl oflhc unil.

Employee Hygiene

Every person employed in the factory shall be medjcally examined by an authorized

registered medical practitioner and the examination shall include X-ray of the chest

60

for tuberculosis. The examination shall also include: examination of stool for

protomal and helminthic inlcstation for those parasites which arc transmitted by

ingestion, and for the presence of Salmonella, shigella species and Vibrio cholrae;

urine; and blood examination for venereal diseases. Subsequently, the employee shall

be medically examined once a year or more frequently, if necessary, to ensure that he

is meciically fit and free from communicable diseases.

It shall be impressed on all employees that they should notify the medical officer or

management, cases of fever, vomiting, diarrhea, typhoid, dysentery, boils, cuts and

sores and ulcers (however small), and notifiable diseases occurring in their own

homes and families.

No worker who is suspected to be suffering from any of the disorders listed above

shall be permitted to work inside the ice-cream plant.

Employees shall keep their finger nails short and clean and wash their hands with

soap or detergcats before commencing work and after each absence, specially after

using sanitary conveniences. Towels used for drying hands should be clean. No

worker should allow his hands or any part of his body or clothing to come into

contact with the mix or icc cream. He should adopt strict hygienic practices so as to

avoid Hdding any microbial contamination to the material.

All employees shall be inoculated and vaccinated against the enteric groups of

diseases once a year and against smallpox once in two years. In case of an epidemic,

all workers shall be inoculated. A record shall be kept.

No worker shall be allowed to work without proper clothing.

Employees shall be provided with clean uniforms (preferably white) or aprons or both

and clean washable caps, where necessary.

The uniforms shall not be worn outside the plant but put on just before starting the

work and changed when leaving.

Eating, spitting, nose cleaning or the use of tobacco in any form or chewing betel

leaves shall be prohibited within the manufacturing, packing and storage area of the

unit. Notice to this effect shall be prominently displayed and enforced.

Sufficient and suitable sanitary conveniences shall be provided and maintained and

kept clean in every factory. The conveniences shall be properly lighted. Separate

conveniences shall be provided for each sex. The conveniences should have self-

closing doors which shall' not open directly into any work room in the factory. The

conveniences shall always be maintained clean and in good repairs.

Suff1cient wash basins with adequate provision of soap and towels, latrines and

uri':'-8ls in the prescribed manner should be provided, conveniently situated and

accessible to workers at all times while they are at the factory.

61

The BIS(Bureau Indian Standards) Standard IS: 5839-1970, also prescribes the hygienic

standards of Site and Premises, Water Supply, Equipment, Containers and Utensils,

Cleaning and Sterilization Equipment and Containers, Ice Cream Ingredients, Preparation

oflce Cream Mix, Pasteurization oflce Cream, Cooling and Aging of Mix, Freezing,

Packaging and Hardening which are most useful for making a quality and hygienic

product( for more details, the standard may be referred to).

During this study it was observed that, while the General Factory, Process, Plant and

Machinery hygiene was satisfactory for the reputed manufacturers like, Amul, Vadilal,

Havmore or Kwality Walls, the employee hygiene is compromised to a significant extent.

In case of small local manufacturers, both the hygiene of manufacturing system and the

personnel is compromised.

None of the brands like Amul,Vadilal, Kwality Walls, Havmore or Mother Dairy ice

~re~:n have the accreditation of the Bureau of Indian Standards( lSI mark). The

standards specified by the Bureau of Indian Standards has a lot of significance for

conducting the business of ice cream in a sophisticated manner. It is necessary that these

standards are followed by the manufacturers in the long term interest of ice cream

business.

Maintenance of the Finished Product at manufacturing Point

After discussion with the manufacturers, it was observed that the maintenance of the

fmished product at the manufacturing point implies the following critical issues:

62

1. Proper Storage after completion of the production activity.

2. Systematic Arrangement and Management of Finished Goods inventory until it is

despatched from the Factory.

lt was observed that in case of the manufacturers, while they produce a beautiful product,

there is compromise in the above post production phases of activity at the factory itself

for which the marketability ofthe product gets weakened. One observation is that during

summer, when the demand shoots up very high in the market and there is tremendous

pressure on the production, it was found that the ice cream was despatched from the

manufacturing units for the market without proper hardening of the ice cream for

sufficient duration (in order to achieve higher production). Since hardening is an activity

which can be best accomplished at the factory only, if it is undermined, it would affect

the product at the later stages. Because of this rea~on, it was found that a Jot of softening,

melting and spilling was taking place at the trading and retailing points.

Further detailed discussion on storage and management of inventory has been done in the

subsequent chapters of this study.

Conclusive Remarks on pre-Despatch Activity

(Production-Distribution Interface)

1. It is clear from the earlier discussions of this chapter that the management of interface

between production and Distribution is a key-issue on the success ofthe distribution

activity that takes place at the post despatch stage (once the goods are moved from

the production facility).

2. For a perishable product like ice cream which is vulnerable to many environmental

hazards while it is moving in the distribution chain, the precautions and preventive

measures, whether it is hygienic production process, superior production /processing

technology or superior packaging that are taken at the production stage would help

,the product sustain its proper features till it meets the fmal consumer.

3. The weaknesses or lapses of the production-distribution interface will ultimately

surface at the later parts of the distribution chain in the market and the company has

to pay a bigger price in terms of loss of image, reputation, customers and revenue.

63

4. As on today, the manufacturing /processing equipment that is the best has to be

imported to India from western countries and it is understandable that the cost of

import is high. However, in order to produce and offer a product that is required by

the today's customer, one has no choice but to go for the best of the equipment for

production und distribution for a perishable product like icc cream. By extension, the

same logic would apply to the other perishable products whether it is milk, fruits,

vegetables or other perishable eatables.

5. As we have examined, there has been prescribed norms for packaging materials,

hygienic standards of production processes and also the hygienic issues related to the

people managing such activities. It does not require extravagant investments to

maintain such hygienic conditions or to follow the specific norms. It is a matter of

maintaining certain discipline in the system which has to be followed and adhered to.

6. It has also been evidenced that under temporary demand pressure, a prematurely

processed product is likely to get moved ahead from the production facility to the

distribution chain. When it is known that such a product may not be able to sustain as

it moves towards the customer, it should not be let go in such a manner.

7. It is significant to note here that for a perishable product, the production-distribution

int~rface has to be managed with proper coordination and control so that the

company does not have to fuce the problem of distribution and sales of the product in

the market place.