Diageo
Leading global drinks business, Diageo, chose EQMS to help them rationalise their quality management systems around the world.
Background
Diageo was formed in 1997 following the merger of GrandMet and Guinness. The company is now the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wine and beer categories.
Their brands include Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Captain Morgan, Baileys, J&B, José Cuervo, Tanqueray, Guinness, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines, and Bushmills Irish whiskey.
Diageo is a global company trading in over 180 markets around the world. Listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) Diageo employs over 22,000 people worldwide with offices in around 80 countries and manufacturing facilities in Great Britain, Ireland, United States, Canada, Spain, Italy, Africa, Latin America, Australia, India and the Caribbean.
Diageo declares one of their values to be a company “always learning, always improving, setting high standards and stretching to exceed them …”
The requirements
In 2004, Diageo began a project to rationalise their Quality Management Systems. Their commitment to quality meant that all offices and manufacturing locations operated quality management systems designed to support compliance with standards such as ISO 9001 and a variety of other local standards and regulations.
However, each location employed its own tools to help them manage the quality systems. Some facilities had built their own software tools, others had purchased software packages and many operated just paper-based systems.
A major goal of the project was to introduce a single web-based toolset that all Diageo businesses could use. This would facilitate the exchange and sharing of information across sites, ensuring a more consistent approach and reducing variation.
As well as these obvious benefits, Diageo expected the chosen solution to help reduce operating costs. With processes consistent across multiple sites, savings would be realised through the introduction of best practice and the elimination of duplicated effort. Furthermore, the cost of internal and external audits would be reduced with the potential for global certifications to international standards such as ISO 9001.
The project was handed to the Guinness team in Dublin. As one on the most successful and longstanding Diageo brands, and with a heritage built on its reputation as a provider of a high quality product, the Guinness operation had a vested interest in assuring the consistency to underpin its growing sales into new territories. Also, the IT and Quality teams based in the Dublin headquarters were well-equipped to manage such a project.
The EQMS solution
After an initial trawl of the market, a shortlist of potential software suppliers was drawn up and EQMS was selected over a number of alternatives proposed by US-based Enterprise Solution Vendors.
“EQMS appeared more simple to use and more straightforward to implement. It offered all the functionality we required and more, but not at the expense of being over complex. It was also excellent value for money, with the enterprise licence option providing for unlimited scalability across all Diageo brands.” said Fergal Mulcahy, Information Services Manager at Guinness.
The role EQMS now plays
Initially, EQMS was deployed by Diageo's Global Supply Division to deliver its Quality Management System in the Guinness & European Ready To Drink business. EQMS has provided global access to controlled process information, automating document review and approval and workflowing corrective and preventive activity.
EQMS enables Guinness to standardise its manufacturing and distribution processes across all global sites, thus underpinning product quality and driving down costs. Fergal Mulcahy said: “EQMS meets the business requirements by enabling our QMS programme. In addition, its web platform provides for easy roll-out across our manufacturing and office based units. It’s a great product!”
Laeona McGrath, QMS Manager, Guinness Supply & European RTD said: “A key benefit is that EQMS provides the ability to adapt the QMS to rapidly changing business needs and thus keep pace with practice on the ground. It also facilitates easy sharing of Quality practices and procedures across our many manufacturing sites and effectively meets our ISO requirements in terms of document control and history."
The success of EQMS with Guinness has resulted in its rollout across many other Diageo brands. The system is also in use with the Baileys, J&B, Johnny Walker and Smirnoff teams and will be extended to cover other brands in the near future.
EQMS is fully web-based and this has facilitated its introduction in many of Diageo’s more remote production facilities, such as its African Breweries.
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