Dan Murunga 
Industry: Food & Beverage (Pet Food Manufacturing)
“The faster you can get the facts and understand what’s going on, the faster you can make a decision to get equipment back up and running. So it really helps that after-hours troubleshooting, reducing downtime.”— Mark Sheard, Director of Engineering, Stella & Chewy’s.
Business Challenge
Stella & Chewy’s, a premium pet food manufacturer specializing in raw diets for dogs and cats, faced significant communication challenges across their operation:
- Limited direct communication between floor workers and maintenance teams
- Delayed equipment repairs due to communication bottlenecks
- Language barriers among diverse workforce
- Difficulty tracking personnel during potential evacuation scenarios
- Communication gaps between three separate buildings on their campus
- Inefficient after-hours support and troubleshooting
- Lack of visual documentation for maintenance issues
Why They Chose Walt Smart Radio System
After evaluating various solutions to address these challenges, Stella & Chewy’s selected walt by weavix® for its:
- Comprehensive communication capabilities beyond traditional radio
- Photo and video sharing features for maintenance diagnostics
- Built-in translation functionality
- Seamless Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity across facilities
- Robust mobile app for off-site management
- Integration potential with existing safety protocols
- User-friendly interface similar to smartphones
- Complete documentation capabilities for troubleshooting and analysis
Solution
Stella & Chewy’s implemented Walt smart radios throughout their entire operation, including:
- Universal Access: Every employee, including general laborers and machine operators, received a walt device as part of their standard equipment
- Integrated Into Daily Operations: Walt devices became part of the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) process, alongside hairnets and other safety equipment
- Direct Communication Channels: Created dedicated maintenance request channels for immediate support
- Visual Problem Solving: Enabled sharing photos and videos of equipment issues
- Translation Integration: Allowed communication in workers’ native languages
- Cross-Building Coverage: Established seamless communication across three facilities
- Emergency Protocols: Implemented evacuation zone monitoring and personnel tracking
- Management Documentation: Created searchable communication logs for analysis and training
Key Use Cases
- Maintenance Communication
- Employee Safety Tracking
- Multi-Language Support
- Equipment Troubleshooting
- After-Hours Support
- Root Cause Analysis
- Emergency Response
- Cross-Facility Communication
Results
The implementation of walt by weavix™ transformed operations at Stella & Chewy’s:
- Accelerated Maintenance Response: Eliminated supervisor intermediaries, creating direct communication between operators and maintenance team
- Reduced Equipment Downtime: Visual sharing capabilities allowed maintenance teams to prepare proper parts before arriving on scene
- Enhanced Workforce Engagement: Provided “cool ownership” for employees at all levels while expediting communications
- Improved Safety Protocols: Enabled real-time tracking of personnel during emergencies
- Streamlined Decision-Making: Facilitated faster fact-gathering and issue resolution, particularly during off-hours
- Better Problem Analysis: Created documented communication chains for step-by-step review and root cause identification
- Bridged Language Barriers: Translation features empowered diverse workforce to communicate effectively in their native languages
- Strengthened Cross-Building Communication: Maintained consistent connectivity across multiple facilities
“One of the really cool things we did when we implemented the Weavix system was every employee, every general laborer, everybody on the shop floor has to have a radio on them. That provides some cool ownership for them, but it also helps expedite communication.” — Mark Sheard, Director of Engineering, Stella & Chewy’s
