Keystone Distribution and McDonald’s: Where quality comes as standard

Source: Food and Drink Digital

Date :20/12/2007 13:56:08

As a major McDonald's supplier it is Keystone Distribution’s responsibility to set exacting standards. Exec looks at how they are achieving this, and more.

Written by James Hurley & Produced by Kiron Chavda

Keystone Distribution was established in 1977 in partnership with McDonald's as its UK baker of hamburger buns, and the company has been growing with McDonald’s ever since.

Efficiently supplying all McDonald's restaurants with everything they need to operate, the company employs over 1000 people in its sites in Hemel Hampstead, Heywood and Basingstoke and guarantees the supply of fresh food daily, 24 hours a day, seven days a week to McDonald’s restaurants up and down the country.

Ramsay Assal, Keystone Distribution’s Logistics Director, emphasises the company’s close ties with McDonald’s, in everything from financial policy to marketing and business intelligence. “Our general growth is linked to McDonalds,” he says.

“As a company we work only and exclusively for McDonald’s. Our whole operational development is intrinsically linked to theirs – they go up, we go up, it’s as simple as that. Everything that they buy in terms of consumables – that’s all paper and chemicals, as well as frozen and chilled foods and toys – everything is bought from us.

"Since we don’t deal with anybody else, there’s no need for marketing and development as we’re exclusive suppliers. In essence, we have a very close and intrinsic relationship with them.”

One consequence of this close relationship is that Keystone feels the sting of unfair media criticism almost as keenly as McDonald’s does, and Assal says that the company is in the perfect position to know just how unreasonable some of the disparagement is.

“Being the biggest and most successful fast food outlet in the world, McDonald’s is an easy target. It seems they’re always the ones that are picked on, for everything from globalisation to fat content…"

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