operator

maintenance technician

forklift operator

packaging operator

maintenance mechanic

Saputo

I would start my day by checking either if I was operating tables, operating cooker or racking cheese.

Operating Tables
 
 I would look at paperwork to see what product was being made and how may tables were left. I would check set times and drop times of curd to determine the ripening time to begin process of product. I would operate the dicer/blower and move it from table to the next to process product. After all tables were done I would  disassemble  equipment,  machinery,  and tools for cleaning and sanitization. When cleaning was done I would reassemble everything needed  for next shift to start production.

Operating Cooker

I would check paperwork to see what ingredients was needed for process of product being made that day. Set up and assemble curd lines and equipment needed to process product. Add ingredients, set cook time, temperature and weight on cooker for each cook cycle. When finished making product I would disassemble equipment and machinery for cleaning and sanitization. After done cleaning reassemble equipment and machines for next shift.

Racking Cheese

I would check paperwork to see what product was being made. I would check product for any foreign matter and remove product not acceptable to company and customer satisfaction. I would rack cheese in timely manner to ensure the flow of product was not disturbed. Document and record the product being made on reports for packing and plant purposes. When the days production order was done and all cheese was racked I would  begin cleaning and sanitization of equipment and work area. When cleaning was done I would set up work area and equipment for next shift.

Packing

I would check packing order to determine packing materials needed for the day. Check and clean cheese of foreign matter while being packaged in film. I would pack product in correct boxes. I would operate weight scale and stack boxes on pallet to be shipped. I would remove loaded pallets from packaging to shipping. At end of day I was responsible for cleanup of work area.

While working at Saputo I learned and understood the process of cheese making. I was trained on how to use and clean with hazardous chemicals. Trained and certified to operate forklift, pallet jack, and other shipping and receiving equipment.

Supervisors were always helpful and knowledgeable if any problems occurred. My coworkers were easy to get along with and worked well together. They helped with the work and cleaning that needed done. The hardest part working at Saputo was working in the hot, humid, and wet environment. The most enjoyable part of job was being able to work on your own.

The most important aspect of working at Saputo is keeping people safe.  New hire training and annual employee retraining on equipment operation and production best practices is an area of high importance.  Of equal importance is turning out a safe, quality dairy product to the public and doing things the right way the first time to control costs. 

Saputo operates a 65,000 square foot refrigerated warehouse facility with 6,000 pallet spaces. I learned the importance of continuous training and reinforcement to ensure that employees maintain proper code rotation and accurate counts while picking orders to control finished goods loss.  Maintaining a fleet of 8 forklift trucks taught me the importance of daily communication with the maintenance team to keep batteries and lifts in safe working order. 

The veteran receiving and warehouse staff are the greatest asset at Saputo. The challenges of handling inventory on a time sensitive schedule are made much more manageable by a group who truly enjoyed helping me and our coworkers increase our proficiency. I learned to use Inventory management software, such as ASC Trac and BPCS business planning software.

One of the most challenging parts of the job is the rigorous, daily implementation of the principles of SQF.  Saputo is certified Level 3 by Safe Quality Foods, an internationally accredited auditing body.  Mainitaing vigilant records on every trailer that comes in to receive or drop off  product, as well as maintaining proper records on temperature in the cooler, verifying lot codes with hourly checks on production lines, housekeeping, and investigative biological swabbing in cooperation with the Quality Assurance is a constant and evolving challenge with a lean work force.

Typical day starts arriving 30 to 40 minutes prior to clock in time to change into work attire. Then meeting with quality team and then meeting with production team for the day’s schedule. Often production wasn’t sure what their schedule was because management hadn’t updated them on the schedule. After meetings, if we’re running, we collect samples for  real time testing and incubation testing for later.  Test product container for integrity. Swab any cleaned (CIP) equipment. Enter all information into computer software.  Investigate any irregularities in product or package integrity and report concerns to production and quality management.   Investigations are very time consuming and with only two lab techs per shifts, it’s easy to get behind on your daily routine.  The work is non-stop and often breaks are not an option.  I’ve learned new testing procedures.  Forced to multitask more effectively. Communicate more confidently with different departments and managers.  Switch task quickly.  Management puts productivity for over concerns of quality of the product.  Lots of micro management. Biased treatment of employees. Management continues to do the things that do not work. The workplace moral is low. The hardest part of the job is the lack of communication through out the company as well as quality  being treated like second hand citizens instead part of the team.  The best part of the job is working with the fellow employees. We all know the problems we have there and try to support each other. 

A typical day at saputo's would be spent flipping cheese and pulling out bad pieces of cheese and packaging them into the boxes. 
One thing that I've learned from saputo's is this place is very biased into the favor of the Union and they don't like non-union employees and if you don't fit in they'll try to work against you. 
The workplace culture of this place is very toxic and hostile and the people were very rude and people would make fun of disabled people here and they would also be very disrespectful and they would try to nitpick and work against fellow employees behind their backs to get them fired. 
The hardest part of the job was just remembering how to do the rotation. The training was very poorly constructed it was like a 5-year-old came up with a training process. Also they don't let you listen to music here it's terrible listening to these machines all day with no music and then you get to listen to old ladies gossiping talk s*** about you. 
The most enjoyable part of the job was the fact that it was really light work the cheese isn't very heavy. 

All in all I'd recommend never working there. It was  a very hostile work environment and made me sad the whole time I was here and I was very disappointed in the conduct and the lack of adult skills that the average person here had . adults here could hardly speak and half the time people would have to grope on you or touch you just to communicate to you because they couldn't talk with their mouth. This place had a really bad vibe I would not recommend working here if you are concerned for your safety or if you have PTSD. 

The lab tech position at Saputo is very straight forward in theory; however, with the plant being short staffed all the assigned duties can become sufficiently overwhelming. With this in mind, a very minor error gets amplified to a write up due to an overconfident supervisor who claims to be familiar with science when the reality is he can't explain what a titration curve is. The management wants to hire graduates with bachelors degrees in biology and chemistry, when they themselves lack the proper education that they desire from a candidate. There was one instance where the supervisor told a new employer that he knows more than me now, which is inappropriate and unprofessional. If you're admitted as a temp prepare to be treated like you're an outsider while also being overworked and paid very little compared to the rest of the employees. The QA Supervisor was known to blame the Temps for all of his shortcomings as well. The only good thing out of this position is that your coworkers can actually make the position enjoyable as well as being able to adapt to a fast pace environment often independently, which is a plus that many other companies in biotech industries look for. If you're lucky enough to get hired full time, the compensation is very good at the expense of saying goodbye to your weekends and not spending time with your family on holidays. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Was the responsibility’s along with the multiple hours I was allowed to work being a  relief operator, not to mention the trust the company possessed in me to complete my job details.      It’s not for everyone, but in my opinion, definitely worth checking out.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Pay attention to specific details given to you by your supervisors or upper management because of all the different office personnel who plays the part in the distribution of cheese, it’s expected to be a part of several forms of miscommunication, however, the low man on the totem pole will always take the fall, Which is also why it’s highly important to be very specific on your paperwork and keeping track of what’s been done involving you throughout the day because it’s not written down -it never happened.    Sign yours truly: BIG DADDY    :)

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
I found to be very comfortable and relaxing due to the family oriented setting, which was established there due to people that have been there for several years becoming close..

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I phoned it to be very rewarding because of the amount you can get done however, you have to consider times were mechanical failure could be expected due to the amount of production and knowing how to deal with the problem, other than allowing it to deal with you.

During my time Saputo in Franklin, WI, I observed a highly competitive and cutthroat atmosphere with frequent turnover. Many skilled employees left voluntarily or were terminated over minor policy infractions, creating instability and a lack of morale.

Despite consistently positive interactions with employees, I received little feedback or support from upper management. I was often called in for off-hour incidents without any recognition, while certain managers prioritized their own work-life balance. Additionally, favoritism was rampant; some managers faced no consequences despite daily issues in their areas, while others were harshly reprimanded for minor mistakes.

The company's approach to safety was concerning. OEM equipment often released elevated levels of CO2, posing health risks, and I would temporarily halt production to protect employees. However, senior management disapproved of these safety measures, even instructing employees to resume work despite the clear hazards.

The culture also tolerated questionable behavior and overlooked serious concerns raised by staff. "The Saputo Way" was promoted but rarely upheld in practice. Ultimately, I would caution anyone considering a role here to carefully weigh the environment and values of this location.



They push quantity over quality and by push i mean slam cheese out so fast you can barely keep up. Lots of impatient, moody trainers on 3rd shift, 1st and 2nd fairly decent. Job security is non existent, as there is a constant revolving door of temps. You get 8 pts to use but HR takes a point for pretty much every little thing, from being 1 min late due to bad weather to wor related injuries. Most people are walked out before completely the 90 days probation period. Multiple employees are on leave for weeks to months every other week for numerous hand, shoulder or back injuries/surgeries due to physically strenuous, fast paced work for 10+ hrs every day. Only get 3 15min breaks and if you havent been there at least 10 yrs kiss ur weekends goodbye because you will be working every one of them. The HR team is useless, the hire and fire and thats it. You are responsible for FMLA, direct deposit, setting up insurance, ect. The union claims they foght for you and your job but they give little effort and seem to work only for the companys interest.

A typical work day is to be prepared for a fast paced environment. Lots of task to be done most of the time not enough resource to complete the task for example lack of materials or lack of scheduled employees.
At Saputo you learn about the dairy process. 
There are members of Management that are not great.
They pick and chooses when its appropriate to go by the company values. In my opinion they don't value any employee. I say this because of the high turnover ratio.
Lack of consistency, lack of true leadership comes from the fact that Managers can’t last in the work environment. There were different managers throughout the departments in my 1.5 years there.
The workplace culture involves a lot of passive aggressiveness. 
The hardest part of the job was stating your issues to management.
The most enjoyable part of the job was great hardworking employees.
If you work night shift be prepared for different treatment than day shift. For example there is never any interaction from management with 3rd shift unless a costly problem has occurred.
At Saputo they walk the fine line between what is appropriate and what is not and continuously waver back and forth. The people running the show their needs to take a serious look at what’s going on at that plant.


Some days can be pretty decent and leave you feeling accomplished and other days it is quite the opposite. All depends on how the supervisors feel that day. Some days they have to have everything done their way and other days they allow YOU to handle YOUR job. It's pretty much a coin toss. Some days the "authority" weighs on you and other days the "authority" isn't pushed as much. I've learned how to work as a team with all walks of life through this company, which is something I haven't had to deal with at this level before. The culture is a heavy split between employees that are there for the job and employees that are there for a paycheck. The hardest thing to deal with here is typically people's bad moods. That goes for employees as well as management. The most enjoyable part of this job is the constant change in daily tasks. You switch positions weekly, sometimes daily. So, it's hard to get bored or burnt out with your job because it's likely going to much different tomorrow than it was today. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Operator 83 salaries reported	$26.44 per hour
Maintenance technician 72 salaries reported	$32.83 per hour
Forklift operator 33 salaries reported	$23.46 per hour
Packaging operator 36 salaries reported	$23.52 per hour
Maintenance mechanic 35 salaries reported	$31.76 per hour

Working at Saputo: Company Overview and Reviews

Saputo

Saputo Ratings

Popular jobs at Saputo

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected