Our new site and future unveiled in the eyes of our Operations Director
As Queensland Bakery Co. continues to grow and expand, we’re extremely excited to share with you that we have moved to a much bigger factory in a new location. This move further aligns our focus to bring our creativity, insight and innovative ideas to the very forefront of everything we do, utilising our brand new BRC Grade A, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities.
We recently spoke to our Operations Director, Bryan Fowler, to get an insight into what the new location means for the business.
What prompted the need for a new site?
To put it simply, we ran out of space at our old site. The business grew massively during 2022, and the site that we were at couldn’t handle the capacity of the orders coming through, so we had to look for something much bigger. Our new site houses all the operations in one place, including the warehouse, production and office space, so it’s much more ideal for the whole business.
What was the most exciting aspect of the move?
It has to be the brand-new shiny factory that’s now ours! When we first got the factory, it needed a lot of work, from taking down walls to designing the layout of the whole building. It was great to be a part of the planning and designing of the site as it means that our new space can work exactly how the team need it to and that it can handle the demand of our orders. We’ve been able to install a lot more automated equipment than in our previous site, and have better facilities for our staff including a fully-fitted kitchen and separate canteen space, which our staff absolutely take full advantage of.
What challenges did you face during the move?
One of the main challenges was getting used to the new site. As with any move, even moving homes, the first couple of weeks are always tricky when you’re trying to figure out how to maximise your space and familiarise yourself with everything. I also didn’t realise how much I needed to know about paint and paint colours and answering the countless calls and emails from our marketing team to meet the deadlines for the designs, which added to the stress (I mean fun!).
We also all mucked in as a team to carry office furniture from delivery vans to the office, up stairs and through doorways. You can imagine it, just picture Ross from Friends. But it did bring some humour to the situation.
How have your staff responded to the new site?
Extremely positively. Our staff have given the management team plenty of great feedback and commented on how they now have access to better welfare, a more relaxing and calming space for their breaks, and wider walkaways so there’s no more congestion. I never thought that would be a noticeable improvement!
Since moving to the new site, we’ve been able to take on more staff, especially in the production area, and in that short space of time they’ve settled in really well. Word on the grapevine is that they enjoy working in a friendly environment and apparently, they like our management style, too. We must be doing a few things right!
What has been the biggest change since the move?
It’s interesting to see how quickly our capacity has increased compared to our old site. We’re now producing three times more the amount of product than we were able to, and that number is increasing each month. Seeing the huge volume of our products leaving the factory every day is really exciting and it’s been really positive for the business as we’re now able to say yes to any demand from any customer without hesitation, which also means there’s never a quiet day.
What does the new site mean for Queensland Bakery Co.?
Our new site has helped support our growth, and has massively increased our production capacity already, even with room for more! It’s allowed us to focus on innovation more than ever, with a dedicated development kitchen for us to create more original products, formats and bespoke recipes for our customers.
What does the future of Queensland Bakery Co. look like?
There isn’t a better way to say it than being the leading supplier in the baked goods industry. And we’re getting there by heavily investing in Quality Assurance and utilising our BRC grade A, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities to its full advantage. The whole team at Queensland Bakery is extremely excited for our future, and our new site is just a steppingstone in getting us there.
Is there anything you have learnt about yourself since the move?
Well one thing’s for sure, I could have handled the stress a bit better as I’ve lost a lot of hair since! But as a result, it’s forced me to have better personal organisational skills. I’ve learnt to manage my team in a more effective way, so that they actually know what’s going on inside my head rather than just guessing. And having brought in so many new staff, who all have expertise in the manufacturing and production industry, it’s allowed me to learn a lot from them, too. We’ve all gleamed a lot from each other during and since the move. If anything, it’s definitely prepped us for another one.
If you’re interested in sweet treats and want to know how we can help you bake up delicious tried-and-tested or bespoke recipes, please get in touch with us at hello@queenslandbakery.com or call us on 023 8026 9926.