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A Look Inside a Skittles Factory In The US

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A Look Inside a Skittles Factory In The US

This video shows how a Skittles factory shaped the economy of a small town in Illinois.  The factory employs 425 people and makes millions of pages of candy a year.

Skittles is a brand of fruit-flavored candy produced by the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, a subsidiary of Mars, Inc. The manufacturing process for Skittles involves several key steps:

  1. Ingredient preparation: The first step in the manufacturing process is the preparation of the ingredients, which include sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, natural and artificial flavors and colors.
  2. Cooking and blending: Once the ingredients are prepared, they are cooked and blended together to create the candy mixture. This mixture is then cooled and formed into small, round shapes.
  3. Coating: The candy pieces are then coated with a mixture of sugar and corn starch. This gives Skittles its distinctive sweet, crunchy exterior.
  4. Drying and sorting: The coated candy pieces are then dried and sorted by color, using advanced sorting and packaging machinery.
  5. Packaging: After sorting, the Skittles are packaged into the familiar clear plastic bags, pouches, and other packaging options.
  6. Quality control: Before being shipped out, the products go through quality control checks for proper shape, color, and packaging integrity.
  7. Distribution and storage: The final step in the manufacturing process is the distribution and storage of the finished product. Skittles are shipped to warehouses and distribution centers, where they are stored until they are sold to retailers and consumers.

It’s worth noting that the manufacturing process and ingredients may vary slightly depending on the specific Skittles product being produced, and the facility or region. Additionally, Mars Inc. has implemented sustainable practices on their production and packaging processes to reduce environmental impact.

Manufacturing Quotes

  • “I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better. I think that’s the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself.” ~ Elon Musk.
  • “An hour saved at the non-bottleneck is a mirage.”   ~ Eliyahu M. Goldratt, The Goal
  • “The best supply chain companies are always evolving.” ~SupplyChainToday.com
  • “The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best but legendary.” ~ Sam Walton, founder and CEO of Walmart.
  • “Today’s standardization…is the necessary foundation on which tomorrow’s improvements will be based. If you think “standardization” as the best you know today, but which is to be improved tomorrow – you get somewhere. But if you think of standards as confining, then progress stops.” ~Henry Ford
  • “For much of Toyota’s history, we have ensured the quality and reliability of our vehicles by placing a device called an andon cord on every production line – and empowering any team member to halt production if there’s an assembly problem. Only when the problem is resolved does the line begin to move again.”  ~Akio Toyoda, CEO Toyota Motor Company

Manufacturing Videos

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