How JDE Peet's brought 40 plants under one standardized skills framework
One platform, one source of truth, and competency data that serves as the global standard.
A global coffee giant with a very manual problem
JDE Peet’s makes some of the world’s most recognized coffee and tea brands. Running 40-plus plants across the globe demands precision, achieved with the right people, trained on the right tasks, in the right facilities. For a long time, teams made sense of it all with spreadsheets.
“Before AG5, we were tracking our skills very simply in Excel, where in rows you had the names, and in columns you had the skills,” said Martin Janirek, BI & Data Specialist at JDE Peet’s. “We had multiple Excels, so we had very scattered competency management.”
The problems compounded quickly, and maintaining discipline across multiple skill matrices was a constant battle. Proof of training was also difficult to surface. Every time a matrix needed updating, it meant chasing down the right file, in the right version, and hoping it was accurate.
“We tried Excel, we failed, and then we learned our lesson,” Janirek said.
Finding the right tool for a specialized problem
The team didn’t want another generic solution, because they’d been down that road. They knew they needed something purpose-built for competency management rather than an adapted HR system, or yet another shared drive workaround.
“We found an expert for competency management, and that’s AG5,” Janirek said. “It was very simple, and it actually got the job done.”
The implementation moved quickly. AG5 provided admin training that Janirek describes as both clear and genuinely useful, walking the team through the platform’s full feature set rather than leaving them to figure it out on their own.
When it comes to AG5, I would say it’s just very simple, but yet very strong.
Martin Janirek
BI & Data Specialist, JDE Peet’s
Competency management that runs itself
For a system admin overseeing a platform used across dozens of facilities, reliability was key here, meaning a platform that needed babysitting was not an option.
“You don’t really want to check the system every single day and just check if it actually works,” Janirek said. “I just check it maybe twice or three times a month, that’s all, and I know everything is working.”
That kind of confidence is hard to put a number on, but the time savings are real. With competency data centralized and consistently maintained, hours once previously lost to chasing updates, reconciling versions, and digging up proof of training have been reclaimed for higher-value work.
I just check the system maybe twice or three times a month, that’s all, and I know everything is working.
Martin Janirek
BI & Data Specialist, JDE Peet’s
The ROI that matters most
When asked about return on investment, Janirek didn’t reach for a headline number. Instead, he pointed to something more durable.
“I would say the time spent is probably the biggest one,” Janirek said.
For a global operation running 40 plants, that scales fast. Every hour per facility, every audit that doesn’t require a frantic search through shared drives, every training gap spotted before it becomes a compliance issue, adds up. And unlike a one-time cost saving, that operational efficiency builds exponentially as the platform embeds itself into day-to-day workflows.
From scattered spreadsheets to a system the team trusts without thinking about it. For JDE Peet’s, that’s what getting competency management right looks like.
