How Johnsonville Uses AI to Transform Work and Unlock Insights.

Johnsonville is not only one of the largest food manufacturers in the United States but also one of the country’s most popular sausage brands. From its headquarters in Wisconsin, Johnsonville has grown into a global name, with its products now enjoyed in more than 45 countries.

Watch our webinar with Johnsonville’s Associate Director, Consumer Insights & Analytics!

Problem

When Karen Kraft, Associate Director, Consumer Insights & Analytics, first joined Johnsonville in 2018, something struck her during her very first week: this company knew more about sausage and sausage consumers than any other company. The challenge wasn’t a lack of knowledge, it was how to manage it.

At the time, insights were scattered across Johnsonville’s internal shared drives and our third-party subscriptions As the data grew, so did the frustration. Pulling the right information at the right time was far from simple, and the team risked losing valuable insights in the process. Karen knew they needed a better way to capture, organize, and unlock the knowledge already inside Johnsonville.

Solution

Karen wasn’t initially searching for an AI solution, but she discovered that the Capacity Answer Engine® was the right fit to solve her team’s challenges, ultimately becoming the first AI platform brought into Johnsonville.

What she really liked about the Answer Engine® was that it doesn’t upload or store company data on external servers. Instead, it searches information where it already lives, respecting access permissions and keeping sensitive content secure. 

Another feature that was important for Johnsonville was that unlike other tools, the Answer Engine® cites its sources and points directly to the original document. This way you can ensure accuracy without hallucinations, as well as easily return to the original document for additional context.

 “You can’t catch the Capacity Answer Engine® in a hallucination, because it shows you literally what it has found, and it’s the original document”

– Karen Kraft, Associate Director, Consumer Insights & Analytics.

Results

By adopting the Capacity Answer Engine®, Johnsonville has transformed how its teams work with knowledge and insights:

• Smarter use of research: Past reports are easy to find, eliminating the need to re-commission costly studies.
• Faster answers: Whether on laptops or phones, teams can quickly get reliable answers to executive and sales questions.
• Time savings: Employees spend less time digging for information and more time applying insights.

“I’ve been at Johnsonville for seven years and have gone from not working at all with AI to it now being my trusted buddy at work.”

– Karen Kraft, Associate Director, Consumer Insights & Analytics.