IFS Connect - How Poka Connects the Shopfloor Workforce, Improves Quality and Saves Time at Trivium Packaging

Why It Matters

Digitizing frontline processes boosts Trivium's operational efficiency, product quality and employee engagement, delivering a clear competitive advantage in the packaging industry.

Key Takeaways

• Poka rollout covers 45 sites, saving thousands of labor hours annually
• Digital work instructions replace paper/PowerPoint, cutting spoilage and errors
• Real‑time issue reporting via photos/video speeds maintenance response
• Skills matrix and training managed in app, unifying permanent and contingent workers
• Central dashboard tracks adoption, enabling standardized templates across 57 locations

Pulse Analysis

The manufacturing floor has long lagged behind back‑office functions in digital adoption, leaving workers reliant on paper forms, static PowerPoint instructions and fragmented communication tools. Poka, acquired by IFS two years ago, addresses this gap by delivering a mobile‑first platform that brings real‑time data, multimedia issue reporting and searchable work instructions directly to the hands of operators. For a global player like Trivium Packaging, the shift means a unified digital layer that sits on top of existing ERP (SAP) and asset‑management (IFS Ultimo) systems, creating a seamless information flow from the shop floor to corporate decision‑makers.

At Trivium, the rollout has already yielded measurable gains. By converting manual checklists and Excel logs into digital equivalents, the company reports thousands of hours saved annually and a noticeable drop in product spoilage. The ability for workers to capture photos or videos of equipment problems and instantly route them to maintenance teams accelerates response times, reducing downtime. Moreover, the platform’s integrated skills matrix and training modules simplify onboarding of permanent staff, contingent workers and subcontractors, while replacing traditional whiteboards with dynamic, multilingual content that can be shared across 57 locations.

The broader implication for manufacturers is clear: standardizing production, safety and training processes on a shared digital platform drives operational excellence and prepares the organization for advanced analytics. Trivium’s next step—leveraging AI to auto‑generate work instructions and mine activity data—illustrates how early digital adoption can evolve into predictive, self‑optimizing operations. As more factories embrace similar solutions, the industry can expect faster issue resolution, higher quality outputs and a more empowered workforce, all critical factors in staying competitive in today’s fast‑moving consumer goods market.