Tomatek · 2013–2015
A union plant at full seasonal scale
General Manager
- 380 full-time employees and 1,600 during fresh-pack season
- Total incident rate cut from 2.70 to 1.40
- Negotiated the 2015 union contract with Teamsters DC 2
Better systems. Better people.
Training & Leadership
Systems only work if people run them. We coach managers and key hourly staff on the floor, deliver food safety and workplace safety training, and put in place management routines that raise accountability and keep your best people.
Signs you need this
- 01
Good people leave, and new people take too long to get up to speed.
- 02
Managers are firefighting instead of running the shift.
- 03
Accidents, workers' compensation or incident rates are too high.
- 04
You need senior operations judgment but not a full-time executive.
What we do
- On-site coaching
- Hands-on training and coaching of management and front-line employees in a USDA/FDA environment.
- Food safety training
- Food safety training and quality-execution training for production teams.
- Workplace safety
- Safety training programs that reduce accidents, incident rates and insurance costs.
- Management systems
- KPIs and a management system that improve morale, accountability and productivity in the leadership team.
- Labor relations
- Experience with unionized workforces: CBA negotiation, grievances and working with shop stewards.
What you get
- Training plan for managers and hourly staff
- On-site coaching sessions
- Safety and food safety training
- KPI and management routine
Relevant experience
Done before, at scale.
Nacho trained more than 275 employees at Everytable. At Tomatek he managed a unionized workforce of 380 full-time employees and 1,600 during fresh-pack season, and cut the incident rate from 2.70 to 1.40.
Everytable · 2020–2021
7.6× daily output in seven weeks
Vice President of Supply Chain, Manufacturing and R&D
- Opened a new 35,000 sq ft FDA facility and hired 250+ employees
- Built quality assurance and sanitation departments from scratch
- Helped the company turn profitable for the first time in five years, within six months
Del Real Foods · 2010–2012
A turnaround in twelve months
Vice President of Operations
- Over $1M saved on labor, overtime and double time with new schedules
- Food cost cut by more than 5.2% through portion control of cooked proteins
- Over $300K saved on workers' compensation premiums through safety training
Results achieved by Nacho Varela in executive roles.
Common questions
Is training on-site?
Yes. Practical Solutions provides on-site training and coaching of management and front-line employees.
Can you step in while we hire an operations leader?
Tell us about the situation. We'll discuss how senior operations guidance could support your team in the meantime.
Related services
- 01
Food Manufacturing
Build better. Operate smarter.
Plant design, equipment layout and start-up for USDA and FDA facilities, plus the quality, sanitation and compliance programs that keep them running.
- Plant design
- Equipment layout
- Start-up
- QA & sanitation
- USDA / FDA
- 02
Operations & Profitability
Find the money hiding in your operation.
Labor scheduling, portion control, yields, KPIs and P&L discipline. The unglamorous work that turns a producing plant into a profitable one.
- Labor
- Food cost
- Portion control
- KPIs
- P&L
- 04
Supply Chain & Procurement
Support growth, not complexity.
Sourcing and contracting commodities, forecasting, warehousing, inventory control and production scheduling, set up to support growth instead of slowing it.
- Sourcing
- Contracts
- Forecasting
- Inventory
- Scheduling
Tell us what you're trying to accomplish.
Share a few details about your operation and the outcome you need. We'll suggest the right starting point.