EFFICIENCY SAVINGS

BOOST BOTTOM LINE

Structure-flex, Headquarterd in Melton Constable, Norfolk, is one of the UK's most succesful providers of bulk packaging solutions and a leading supplier of vehicle tension curtains and lifting products.

Needing to compete more effcetively with global manufacturers, particularly from the Far East, Structure-flex asked WLP to devise and implement a manufacturing efficency programme. Savings of £750,000 were achieved in just nine months by a 25% improvement in efficiency.

WLP’s Steve Palmer is a Lean Six Sigma ‘black belt’ expert who has used lean manufacturing techniques to identify, measure and manage improvements to processes to help UK businesses to compete on a global level.

The first stage of the Lean process for Structure-flex was to clean up the workplace and standardise working procedures. Then initiatives were introduced to manage areas such as absence and process flow. Steve Palmer followed the proven WLP approach of working closely with all manufacturing staff to ensure that they identify with the aims and can see the improvements as wasted material and effort is eliminated.

Each operator can see how they are performing as well as the overall level of improvement. The company passes a share of the benefits of improvements to staff through a newly developed transparent bonus scheme.

There was a bonus too for WLP, who were so confident in the potential for efficiency savings that they agreed to be paid by results, deepening the commitment for both companies.