Bakkavör is a leading international food manufacturing group, specialising in freshly prepared foods and produce. Its Fresh Meals Solutions division makes prepared meals for the major supermarket chains, and has two sites in Lincolnshire: ‘Cucina’ in Boston and ‘Freshcook’ in Holbeach). The economic downturn had put the company under pressure to introduce synergies across the two factories in order to improve productivity and profitability. Bakkavör approached specialist change management consultants, Reliable Manufacturing to implement its Rapid Transformation Programme to engage the company’s people in proactive problem solving and improvement action.
The results have been quick to arrive, says HR Manager, Siobhan Richards: “Nine months in to the programme, the payback is already greater than the investment cost, with even more impressive results in the pipeline.”
Reliable Manufacturing’s Rapid Transformation Programme incorporates a series of engagement workshops featuring The Manufacturing Game, a proven industry-developed simulation for accelerated learning, designed to help drive change across an organisation.
“As well as the impressive financial benefits we’re seeing, the workshops have transformed key working relationships,” says Operations Manager, Nigel McGinn. “It is a fun and memorable way to learn, which is why it has been so effective.”
Reliable Manufacturing Managing Director, Andrew Fraser, says: “The workshops allowed the Bakkavör executive and middle management teams to simulate real-life scenarios from their business and to establish the principles of ‘systems thinking’ - how the actions of one area impacts another area of the business.”
As a result, improvement teams were launched to address a range of specific problem opportunities - from changes in the supply of raw materials all the way through to improvements within the invoicing system. The benefits have already shown through in improved output, better yields and reduced costs.
Following the rapid turnaround in culture and performance, other Bakkavör businesses are now exploring the benefit of the programme for their operations.
About Reliable Manufacturing
Reliable Manufacturing is a reliability-based change management consultancy, helping global clients from a wide variety of industrial sectors realise superior business results.
We are specialists in delivering performance improvement through the implementation of operations and maintenance best practices, which facilitate organisational cultural change. Our pragmatic approach delivers improved asset availability, reduced operating costs, improved HSE performance and increased employee motivation and satisfaction.
Change is delivered through tailored programmes, and we work at all levels of client organisations to equip the leadership and engage staff in the practices, systems and behaviours that assure outstanding operational performance.
Andrew Fraser
Reliable Manufacturing
andrew.fraser@reliable-manufacturing.com
www.reliable-manufacturing.com
