The innovative tech tools energizing our global frontline

Kekeletso Mofokeng

Role: Operations Manager

Location: Durban, South Africa

More than four languages are spoken at the Prospecton facility where Kekeletso Mofokeng is the operations manager. It’s a challenge that has been partly overcome with the addition of smart headsets into the training regimen. Now each technician can be trained in their chosen language. “Since we are based in the Province of KwaZulu – Natal / Zululand, the dominating language is Zulu,” Mofokeng says.

This new tech has also helped the Prospecton plant do a “Virtual Deep Dive” exercise, a proven initiative led by sector Technical Services teams to deliver better performance and productivity across Africa, Middle East and South Asia (AMESA) manufacturing plants. It also enabled greater connection with different teams around the world. “Organized virtually given the pandemic circumstances, the key purpose of the deep dive is to home in on each of the plant’s processes that improve performance,” explains Mofokeng. “Ultimately, a deep dive will help streamline activities and reduce the waste at the facilities to make our processes more productive. This is a process that delivered performance improvements across our plants in India, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt. It also creates an environment of best practice sharing through participation of specialists from these plants within our sector.”

It’s no surprise that Mofokeng has been able to put this new tech into action. Throughout her 24-year career at PepsiCo, she’s been constantly looking at the next move.

Mofokeng started as a contractor in a PepsiCo packaging plant. Her first year on the job also marked the arrival of her first child. PepsiCo made her a permanent employee before she went on maternity leave, and she was promoted to process technician after her return. Mofokeng worked her way through the ranks and was nominated to attend the Foundation for Excellence program and received an award for the Best Performer. “I’m always focused on helping my team achieve great results and earn high performance ratings,” Mofokeng says.

Mike Massey

Role: Sales Representative

Location: Toronto, Canada

“I have always had a thing for science fiction, starting from a young age,” says Sales Representative Mike Massey. “Seeing science fiction go from being fiction to becoming reality is part of why I love technology.”

So when his Sales team got to be one of the first groups to receive a frontline tech update with an iPhone rollout along with new apps, Massey dove right in. “I now have access to real-time data that lets me better serve my customers and their needs,” he says. “And the new phones have allowed us to set up group chats so that our Sales team can stay better connected.”

His manager quickly noticed his enthusiasm and encouraged him to work with his fellow frontline Sales associates to build their collective knowledge. Massey decided to set up a series of “lunch and learn” clinics so his co-workers could jump in on Zoom calls and learn about how the new tech could help in their day-to-day work.

“I really took myself outside of my comfort zone leading that first clinic,” Massey says. “But all in all, it was an enjoyable experience that I’ve used to learn and grow for my next tech clinics.”

For the training, he and his manager focused on the two apps most widely used by frontline associates: SFOD (store facts on demand) and MSA (my store accelerator). He covered how to navigate the apps and how co-workers can best use the apps in the field.

“I have stayed with PepsiCo for 22 years because this is a company that is always innovating, from diverse product lines to the people that work for them,” Massey says. “I have made lifelong friendships and get to work with the most amazing people.”

Natal de Jesus Marrochelli Filho

Role: DTS Seller

Location: Sorocaba, Brazil

PepsiCo was the first company in Brazil to introduce electric trucks into its fleet. One driver who wasn’t surprised, but was proud, was Natal de Jesus Marrochelli Filho, who has driven PepsiCo trucks for nearly 19 years.

“For me, the best part of working for PepsiCo is that they’re always introducing the latest technology and always bringing innovation,” he says.

According to Marrochelli Filho, the new trucks promote a better and more positive work experience for the drivers. It begins with the sound. Electric trucks are much quieter, so there is no stress from loud engine noise all day. The gearshift is an automatic gearbox, so he doesn’t have to work the gears constantly while he drives. But most important, to Marrochelli Filho, the truck is better for the planet.

“It’s a truck that doesn’t run on gas, it’s a truck that’s electric, so there’s no smoke or excess CO₂ polluting our environment,” Marrochelli Filho says. “It’s better for the future.”

The truck draws attention on its way. Frequently, when Marrochelli Filho stops at truck stations, interested drivers come up to take a look. “They are always surprised and ask me, ‘How does it work, where is the gas drum, how does it run, is it easy to drive?’”

He loves to share the details. “It’s been really exciting to be one of the people picked to drive PepsiCo’s electric trucks.”

Alan Madden

Role: Liquid Manufacturing Operator

Location: Cork, Ireland

When the pandemic threatened to temporarily shut down the PepsiCo plant in Cork, Ireland, a team of associates came up with innovative solutions to keep it running. Alan Madden was part of that team. He works as a Liquid Manufacturing Operator and is, ultimately, in charge of making sure soda concentrates are created just right.

Before the pandemic, Madden would have been on the plant floor following the exact guidelines for creating the Pepsi recipes. Now the team had to pivot to make the plant safer for essential workers by reducing the number of people on the floor. So Madden started to log in from home, using a few different tech solutions to replace his physical presence with a virtual one.

He used the Citrix XenApp to operate the main manufacturing system, for example. But the real game changer was the smart headsets for frontline workers to wear, which allowed Madden to see exactly what his colleagues saw. “The smart headset images were transmitted via Zoom, and then I could direct the person on-site to a particular area or piece of kit if needed,” Madden says. “The headset was new to us, as indeed was Zoom at the time, but that has changed significantly over the past year, as you can imagine!”

Madden and his colleagues were able to keep the plant running and remotely manufacture millions of servings of Pepsi in six-hour stretches. Now they are looking into how this tech can help them in the future. “We’re excited about the ability to remotely access our manufacturing system outside normal business hours if required — notably on later shifts or during weekend hours if we’re manufacturing,” his Team Leader Donal Punch says.

“I am truly amazed by the courageous leadership demonstrated by the plant team in this unprecedented situation,” says Pankaj Agarwal, Vice President of Operations for Ireland.