Race Cars, Teamwork and Values: Vilniaus duona’s Annual Event

Vilniaus duona colleagues came together for the company’s annual event – a day filled with conversations, shared successes and challenges, and plenty of competitive spirit. Nine teams built their own race cars and put them to the test on the track.

As every year, Vilniaus duona CEO Artūras Kokoškinas shared an overview of the bread market, key developments across the company and the most important work underway. Dalia Zdanovičienė, Head of the Vilnius bakery, and Šarūnė Kiznienė, Head of the Panevėžys bakery, spoke about what is currently shaping day-to-day life at both sites.

“This year has brought plenty of challenges. But when is it ever different for us? First the pandemic, then the war in Ukraine, and last year the BP3 business management systems project. A project of that scale is probably something a person or a manager takes on once in a lifetime. And we managed it successfully”, said Artūras.

Health and safety first

Employee safety was another key theme of the event. Neringa Melnikavičienė highlighted a shared goal: zero accidents in our bakeries. In a production environment, where teams work with machinery every day, this is an ambitious target. The Vilnius bakery has now gone 44 days without an accident, while Panevėžys has reached 95 days.

We also celebrated colleagues who have taken important steps in their careers this year. One of the strongest examples is Viktorija Balčiūnienė, who progressed from a quality specialist role to become Production Manager. We also welcomed a group of colleagues who joined Vilniaus duona this year.

Quality holds up even in unannounced audits

Quality Manager Viktorija Lėgaudaitė-Lydekaitienė highlighted another achievement worth celebrating: both Vilniaus duona bakeries have earned BRCGS AA+ rating.

“We can be proud that our quality and safety processes work even when no one is looking over our shoulder. An AA+ rating means that even during an unannounced audit, every part of the chain – from raw materials, production and equipment to product quality and logistics – met the highest standards. It shows that each of us understands that quality starts with our own actions, while the final result depends on all of us,” said Viktorija.

A year of investment projects for the Vilnius bakery

Dalia Zdanovičienė, Head of the Vilnius bakery, presented the packaging automation project and one of the bakery’s latest developments – the production of portioned breads for the Danish market.

“What matters most for a bakery? Keeping the lines busy. That means the bakery is operating at a healthy level of capacity and there is work for everyone. Since launching the project to supply portioned breads to the Danish market, utilisation of the line has reached 84%. Our Group colleagues jokingly started calling us R2D2 – just like in Star Wars, we became their indispensable helper. And we delivered the entire project in just three months from the final go-ahead,” said Dalia, thanking both the local and international teams.

The Panevėžys bakery runs around the clock

Šarūnė Kiznienė, Head of the Panevėžys bakery, noted that when people talk about production, the focus is often on tonnes, efficiency, projects and investment. But behind every number, first and foremost, there are people.

“Our bakery runs around the clock, apart from a few hours set aside for maintenance, cleaning and inspections. This year, we invested in dough mixing, forming and packaging equipment, as well as packaging automation, so our colleagues no longer have to place slices into packs by hand. But every day, it is people who make the work happen – as a team,” said Šarūnė, thanking her team.

"There is no boredom in the bread business"

Artūras Kokoškinas joined Vilniaus duona 12 years ago as Head of Marketing. Back then, he admits, he had a very different idea of what working in the bread industry would be like.

“I wondered what there would actually be to do in the bread business. I imagined it would be quite repetitive. But if there’s one thing this industry is not, it’s boring. The pace is fast: projects, investments, new product launches. After all, roughly one in every three loaves of bread on Lithuanian tables is baked by us. That is both a great honour and a great responsibility,” said Artūras.

He also thanked the teams whose work often remains less visible precisely because everything runs smoothly behind the scenes: Accounting, IT and HR.

Employee benefits

Jūratė Kudabaitė-Staškevičienė, Head of HR, also highlighted the additional benefits available to employees, ranging from financial support following the birth of a child and assistance at the start of the school year to health insurance.

“All our employees are covered by 24/7 accident insurance, whether they are at work or at home. Colleagues who have been with the company for at least six months also receive health insurance, including unlimited remote consultations with doctors,” said Jūratė.

Values Ambassador Awards

One of the most important traditions of the annual event is the Values Ambassador Awards. This year, we once again recognised nine colleagues whose everyday work brings our values to life in a particularly strong way: openness, drive and a holistic mindset. We also presented a Health and Safety Award to one of our colleagues.

We’ll share more about them separately – their stories deserve the spotlight.

Drive on the racetrack

To keep the formal part of the event lively, our Brand Manager – and unofficial ambassador of good spirits – Jolita Ažusienė got everyone out of their seats for a group dance. Those who were in the mood joined in to a cheerful Vilniaus duona song created by Artiom Bučinskas with the help of AI.

Artiom also hosted a Kahoot quiz to test how closely everyone had been listening to their colleagues’ presentations.

Once the presentations were over, it was time for the race car building challenge.

Nine teams, formed by drawing lots, designed and built their own cars before putting them to the test on the track. There was no shortage of Drive – some teams even managed to cross the finish line after losing a wheel along the way. The team-building challenge was organised by our partners at ŪPAS.

We rounded off the evening with dinner, an illusionist’s performance and dancing. The dance floor quickly filled up, helped along by our Quality Manager Viktorija Lėgaudaitė-Lydekaitienė – who, as some colleagues may not know, is a Lithuanian Standard ballroom dancing champion – and technician Edmundas Šileikis, who will soon celebrate an impressive 50 years with Vilniaus duona.