Annual Vilnius Bread Day: March, Year Overview and Awards

Hike through Labanoras Park. Sharing what we are happy about this year, where we want to go and where we are moving forward. Awards of our value ambassadors and dances and conversations surrounded by nature. This is how we spent our annual Vilnius Bread Day this year.

Reviewed the year and presented the news

Executive Director Artūras Kokoškinas presented the results of recent years, bread market issues and future plans to several dozen colleagues.

"The market is competitive, so we are looking for ways to produce qualitatively and efficiently, deliver products faster, and grow the attractiveness of our brand. It is important for us to help people see bread as part of their daily diet and to achieve the sustainability goals approved by the group," he said at the event.

An important place is also given to the topic of efficiency, including the FP3 project on the harmonisation of business processes. Also in the area of quality and safety – attention to it is also appreciated by the highest BRCGS certificate earned by both bakeries this year.

Dalia Zdanovičienė, the head of the Vilnius bakery, and Marius Juška, the head of the Panevėžys bakery, told their colleagues about the bakeries' investments, changes and plans for new products.

Ambassadors of values were also awarded at the event

The leaders also awarded our this year's ambassadors of values. Diplomas and thank-you gifts were received by nine colleagues from Vilnius, Panevėžys bakeries and administration. This year, in the eyes of their colleagues, they were the ones who best embodied the values of openness, drive and an all-encompassing approach.

Projects of Vilnius Bakery

Among the most important projects this year, the head of the Vilnius bakery mentioned the general repair of flour bunkers and the heat recovery project – the latter was also implemented in the Panevėžys bakery last year. This year, the production efficiency monitoring system (OEE) was also installed, the cooling system was updated and the furnace hood was enlarged. The last two projects were designed to create a more comfortable temperature for those working on cooking equipment.

In autumn, a new automatic packaging system will be launched at the Vilnius bakery, and new products will be launched on the market – Brioche bread and "Beata virtuvė" ragaišis.

"I would like to thank the team of technicians, who adapted the line for a round pastry without additional investments, and my colleagues from the product development department Aurimas and Snieguolė – for their work in developing this product," said Dalia.

More than 620 days – safely

The Vilnius bakery has a record indicator: we have been working safely for more than 620 days, without any accidents. In production, where sharp and hot equipment abounds, this is an important achievement.

"We have made a lot of markings of safe platforms, bridges, barriers, equipment. The result is almost two years without accidents. Thank you to all the employees who closely monitor and make suggestions, as well as to the team of technicians who make many improvements so that everyone feels and is safe at work," Dalia emphasized.

She was also pleased that we have a specialist in the bakery who is responsible for efficiency solutions: Alma Žilinske, a specialist in continuous improvement. Together with the team, this year the bakery managed to find effective solutions and save 200 thousand euros. Significantly exceeding the plan.

This year, Panevėžys bakery set a record for daily baked goods

Panevėžys bakery is the core of our rye baked goods. All Vilniaus Duona rye shaped and loaf breads are baked here, including the most popular Agota bread, and a line of baguettes is also available.

Usually, an average of about 60 tons are baked here per day, but this year the record was reached in one day – 114 tons per day.

"The essence of our mission is to feed Lithuania. On that day, we were able to bake almost twice as much as usual and deliver the missing bread to the market when the competitor's bakery was closed," Marius Juška emphasized the strategic importance of Vilniaus Duona, reminding that the company bakes more than a third of the bread for the market.

Among the most important investments of this bakery is the new bread packaging equipment of Agota and Grandma, which will automate, simplify and speed up the packaging of bread.

In total, the efficiency measures in this bakery allowed to save almost 0.5 million euros this year. euros.

The culmination of the day is a hike through Labanoras Park

After a rich information part, colleagues joined a multi-hour hike organized by "Trenkturas".

Divided into ten teams, we started from the Mindūnai Observation Tower and traveled along the paths of Labanoras Park, along the Baltieji Lakajai Lake, along the way some of them managed to pick mushrooms and taste lingonberries.

At the intermediate stops of the 9 km hike, cheerful team competitions and rest breaks with healthy snacks awaited, and the evening was crowned with team awards, dancing with a DJ and live music. 📸We would like to thank Viktorija Balčiūnienė for the photo moments, and Jurga Staniukėnienė and Jurgita Raštinienė for organizing the event.