Baking & Snack - May 2023 - 20

PIANTEDOSI BAKING CO.
PASSING THE KNOWLEDGE
FROM ONE GENERATION
Dough flows out
of one of five
horizontal mixers
that feed four
makeup lines to
keep production
running smoothly.
are rooted in what they've learned from the third generation
of managers who have mentored them.
" Between the four of us, we're trying to fully understand
every single component of the business, " Arthur
Piantedosi said. " We're all cross-functional enough
so whatever pops up during the day, any one of us can
jump in and fill a role, if needed. "
To address the tight labor market, the bakery rolled
out cross-functional training so that employees can fill
multiple positions, especially during the busy summer
season for this New England bakery.
" Piantedosi Baking is a family business, and with that,
employees become an extension of our family, " Carmine
Piantedosi explained. " Because employees are our greatest
asset, we design our training programs to maximize
their personal and professional development. We have
English as a second language classes, bakers and general
math, lean manufacturing, 5S, food defense and safety,
and technical skills for mechanics to name a few. "
Moreover, he noted, the skill sets required in today's
baking environment have become much more technical
than in years past.
" Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have focused on
stronger cross-functionality between our production
lines, and we are validating all of our processes to ensure
efficiencies, " Arthur Piantedosi said. " In addition, we are
looking at each SKU in our portfolio and rationalizing
those that no longer fit our process efficiently. "
The company is taking a close look at production. For
example, if a divider is expected to do 20 strokes a minute,
the bakery is timing it to make sure it's performing
at that rate, Carmine Piantedosi said.
In addition to strategically investing in new equipment,
the bakery is streamlining production flow to
maximize efficiencies within its operation. Initially, the
company estimates it has reduced waste by 3% or more.
" Our mantra has been about producing product more
20 Baking & Snack May 2023 / www.bakingbusiness.com
TO ANOTHER
So many bakers lament the loss of institutional
knowledge when their longtime
employees retire. To ensure that
doesn't happen, the fourth generation at
Piantedosi Baking Co. said that they received
mentoring from their predecessors
when they were learning the business.
" Many of them have been with us for
30 or 40 years, " noted Arthur Piantedosi,
director of business process and operational
compliance. " There's a ton of
information that they can share with us
and we can pull from them. "
At around age 11, Arthur and his
brother, Carmine Piantedosi, director
of production planning and distribution
operations, spent their summers in the
bakery, rotating through different departments
as needed and learning about
production, maintenance, sanitation, R&D
and distribution before attending college.
Their cousin Adam Piantedosi, director
of business development and retail
sales, spent three years rotating through
production, finance and sales, while Jared
Piantedosi, marketing media specialist,
joined most recently in 2023.
Today, Thomas Piantedosi, Adam's
father, is chief executive officer, while
his brother, Bob Piantedosi, senior vice
president of operations, is Arthur's and
Carmine's dad. Joseph Piantedosi, executive
vice president of marketing and business
development, is Jared's father.
Adam Piantedosi said there hasn't been
any formal transition from one generation
to another. It just doesn't work that way.
" As we continue to learn and grow,
our dads and the third generation are
recognizing our growth and seeing what
we have been able to accomplish, " Adam
Piantedosi said. " It's been a natural
progression. There hasn't been an official
recognition that we're running the
day-to-day, but there definitely has been
a changing of the guard, especially since
the pandemic. "
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Baking & Snack - May 2023

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