Church & Dwight Uses a Connected Worker Platform to Digitize Frontline Operations
How the Folkestone plant digitized frontline processes and improved OEE with connected work instructions, digital forms, and skills tracking.
Company Profile
Consumer Packaged Goods
300
United Kingdom
110M+ units/year
Church & Dwight’s Poka Transformation
OEE improvement
Platform usage
Forms submitted per month
Skills tracked
Issues captured since 2019
A Modern Factory Without the Digital Backbone
Church & Dwight’s Folkestone plant, located in the UK, is a key manufacturing hub producing personal care and toiletry products for European and global markets. Operating 24/7 across four shifts, the plant runs over six production lines and manufactures 110 million units annually. But just a few years ago, many of its critical frontline processes were still paper-based.
“We had moved from the Flintstones to Star Trek in terms of automation,” said Paul Reynolds, Production Support Manager. “But we didn’t have the digital infrastructure to support where we were trying to go.”
That disconnect led to real operational challenges—particularly in shift communication, issue escalation, and standard work execution. Work instructions and escalation processes were handled manually, often resulting in repeated work, lost time, and inconsistent practices across lines.
The team recognized that to continue scaling, they needed a platform that could keep pace with their growing complexity—and bring structure to their transformation journey.
Digitizing the Factory Floor with Poka
Folkestone began its Poka journey in 2019, starting with operator training and communication. Within the first six weeks, the platform was fully embedded into their escalation process. Operators were trained to check for work instructions or troubleshooting content in Poka during breakdowns, and if none existed, to create a post and escalate accordingly.
“It became second nature,” said Gemma Stapley, Digital Systems Specialist. “Operators knew exactly where to go and how to document what they were seeing.”
The platform quickly became an essential communication tool—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when shifts were isolated and in-person interaction was limited. Poka provided continuity and visibility across all four shifts, ensuring information was shared and acted on despite physical separation.
Over time, the team expanded their usage. In August 2023, they introduced digital forms, starting with 5S checks, centerlining audits, and changeover part audits. By early 2024, they had fully implemented skills tracking using Poka’s TWI-based module—enabling real-time visibility into team competencies and training progress.
Standardized, Connected, and Operator-Friendly
One of the biggest wins for the team was the standardization made possible through digital forms.
“Every line, every area uses the same dynamic form,” said Gemma. “Operators scan a QR code at the workstation and see only what’s relevant to their area. It’s clean, it’s simple—and it’s consistent.”
The forms are more than just digital checklists. Operators can now take and attach photos directly within the form, raise issues on the spot, and receive feedback—creating a closed-loop process. Shift managers are automatically notified of deviations, and recurring issues can be tracked over time through built-in analytics.
“We used to fill out a piece of paper and hope it made it to the right person,” Gemma explained. “Now, we can act on problems immediately—and operators actually see what’s being done. That feedback loop has made a huge difference in engagement.”
The site has also embedded a robust skills tracking process, assigning over 250 skills tied directly to work instructions and TWI training. Operators progress through structured, step-by-step endorsements, verified by trainers and shift managers. With a fully flexible workforce, all team members are assigned training across all lines—ensuring full coverage and adaptability.
We’d love to see this plant become completely paperless. And with Poka, we’re well on our way.
Gemma Stapley
Digital Systems Specialist
Higher Engagement, Faster Problem Solving, and a 10% OEE Boost
With Poka now part of daily life at Folkestone, the team is seeing measurable gains:
- 98.5% platform utilization in the last 90 days
- 944+ digital forms submitted per month
- 17,000+ issues created since launch
- 10% improvement in OEE, supported by Poka and other digital systems
“Poka has supported our lean processes, our MES system, and our continuous improvement efforts,” said Jim Stevens, Site Operations Manager. “It’s helped us reduce downtime, close gaps faster, and turn feedback into action.”
Beyond the numbers, the team points to Poka’s role in building a culture of engagement and ownership. Operators are more empowered to contribute, and managers have visibility into what’s happening in real time—even when they’re off shift.
“We’ve got operators saying things like, ‘I love using Poka—it’s easy. I scan a QR code, I find a solution, I share it with the team.’ That’s exactly the behavior we want,” Gemma said.
Launching a New Line with a Digital-First Approach
Church & Dwight is currently preparing to launch a new high-speed production line in 2026—and Poka will be there from day one. The team plans to use the platform to build and deliver digital work instructions, track operator training, and capture issues as the line ramps up.
They also see opportunity for deeper integration with systems like SAP and MES, allowing even more seamless data sharing between platforms.
And ultimately, they’re working toward a bigger vision.
“We’d love to see this plant become completely paperless,” Gemma said.
“And with Poka, we’re well on our way.”
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