case study 1:
Van en Bergh’s, Purfleet (Unilever Bestfoods): new refinery build

Research has proven that real change only takes place when there is an emotional element associated with the learning and growth. Once we had aligned employee and business needs at Van den Bergh’s, we were free to tap into an enormous energy and zest for change that then existed at every level of the organisation.

The brave decision to embrace new technology (in the form of a £40M greenfield new build) could have proved disastrous. Inexperience and fear often lead to covert resistance that can cause significant delay during major transitions. However, with the psychological contract already in place at Van en Bergh’s, we created a meaningful vision that engaged employees on an emotional level. Instead of fear, uncertainty and resistance, we saw commitment, determination and real teamwork.

Following an 80 day bespoke training program, operators and engineers worked side by side to commission the new plant. These two groups, who had historically enjoyed a functional silo relationship, now cooperated to the full, often swapping roles across now blurred functional boundaries. Inexperience and lack of confidence were quickly transformed into certainty, reliability and structure.

Less than twelve months later we had:

• Evolved a system of leaderless shift teams each operating autonomously without supervision
• Delivered world record weekly outputs (a volume declared impossible on that equipment)
• Established a priceless atmosphere of commitment, excitement and mutual respect.

case study 2:
Birds Eye Lowestoft: operational change

In 1994 the Lowestoft site employed 1600 staff in a 5 factory multi-product complex, operating mostly on a 5 day week basis. The previous year it went through a bitter strike which left a strong confrontational relationship between management and staff.

In contrast, several of the site’s product categories were in double digit growth and capacity was rapidly falling short of demand.

So how did this position change such that within a decade the site became winners of the Management Today Best Factory of the Year Award.

The turn round programme focussed on creating win-win solutions which positively engaged employees in their business. The programme aligned the business needs to that of the employees, creating a working environment where people were valued. This included movement of the factory on to a structured 7 day 24 hour operation and new employee contract, which in itself embodied our joint principles.

Accompanied by changes to the organisational structure the foundations were now set. Thereafter, it was possible to build employee involvement and hence drive efficiency, customer service and the future.

The programme delivered:

• Higher plant capacity, avoiding £10m worth of investment
• Serviced growing category demand
• Provided a good work life balance for employees
• Provided a solid foundation upon which to build an ongoing continuous improvement programme, which initially saved £3m p.a.

case study 3:
chilled multi product dairy operation

The "grind" and daily short term urgency of short shelf life chilled operations can often prevent focus on robust continuous improvement. Sometimes this even becomes a blindness to what could be achieved.

The same principles apply to this environment as in ambient or frozen.

So at one of the UK’s largest dairies we analysed what had to be done to produce an environment where people were allowed and able to make the difference. How do you move away from a turnover well over 20%, low basic wages and high overtime, variable service and high waste and aim to achieve operational excellence?

Changing the environment to enable improvement to occur required a basic change in mindset. The product is a low margin commodity but this doesn’t mean that the employees who work there should be low margin commodities. The skills required are as high as other technically complex, high margin branded factories.

A balanced structured change programme created a change in the working environment. The programme simultaneously delivered benefits to the customer, business and employee. Changes included:

• A clear purpose and vision
• A real understanding and focus on quality
• New 7 day 24 hour shift patterns aligned to customer demand
• Improvements in basic employee facilities
• Reorganised management structure
• A new contract of employment which embodied our principles
• A structured planning process
• Use of Kan ban systems to manage stock

These changes delivered:

• Greatly improved customer service
• Increased peak capacity by 20% for a promotionally driven product, avoiding a £6m investment
• Allowed restructuring of an unwieldy demand planning process
• Reduced labour costs by £500K per annum

Ultimately, the removal of non value added activities has provided a robust foundation from which the organisation can meet the new challenges of the retail market.