Colin Chinery colin.chinery@tiscali.co.uk
Leadership & strategy Leadership
Research has shown that poor
leadership is costing
Debbie Giggle lhousepr@btinernet.com
Design & innovation Lean
innovation
Reducing time to market is crucial in today’s competitive environment. This article will show how companies are applying the concepts of lean to the innovation processes, removing bottlenecks and cutting time to market. We will see how they are looking at the entire value stream, from the original market research and competitor analysis through to ramping up to production. What are the common areas of ‘wastage’, how are these recognised, and then removed? What investments need to be made in this process, both in terms of time, training, and equipment? What are the paybacks, and how quickly does it deliver ROI? What are the real challenges in this, and how can they be overcome? What can we learn from these examples?
John Dwyer JD@johndwyer.demon.co.uk
World class manufacturing Six sigma
Six sigma is a very mature business improvement process with a well defined and extensive toolkit, equally at home in the manufacturing sector, and the administrative sector – for example it has been very successfully implemented by the financial services sector. There are innumerable examples of successful implementation across all sectors of manufacturing, and yet there are many companies in which six sigma has been attempted and discarded as a failure. In this article we will examine what it takes to successfully implement six sigma. What is involved in the six sigma improvement process? How should six sigma be approached? What should companies expect o be doing by way of training, change management etc etc, and what support, infrastructure and backing is required from top management? What are the most common difficulties that have to be overcome? Can it be of equal value in the administrative areas of the company, can it be adapted to all areas of manufacturing? And finally, how expensive if this, and how quickly can companies get payback?
Annie Gregory annie.gregory@btinternet.com
Skills & productivity Multi-skilling
Building a multi-skilled workforce is a tough, demanding, long-term proposition. Manufacturing sites that have been through the process talk not just about productivity gains but more flexible labour deployment, reduced dependency on temporary labour, improved OEE, increased responsiveness to customer demand, leaner operations and devolved decision making. But they also talk about a painful restructuring, high training costs, increased wages bills and workforce churn, often through poaching. So is it worth it? We will hear from manufacturers who have introduced multiskilling about their successes and failures, what it cost them and what difference it eventually made to their performance measures.
Brian Davis brian@creativedream.co.uk
IT in manufacturing Payroll
Payroll
software can perform a variety of functions in a manufacturing organisation,
depending on multiple payroll types, frequency, payment reviews, statutory
payments, rewards, subcontractors and global payrolls in multiple
currencies. Increasingly payroll software is being integrated with ERP systems,
for tax reporting, rewards/benefits and other purposes. This feature will
examine the pros and cons of buying dedicated payroll and/or HR software for a
manufacturing enterprise, or using payroll modules within ERP systems to link
payroll to relevant management information
including T&A, expenses and other related functions. Alternatively,
the two may be combined within an expert package. Which do
manufacturers prefer, and what are the benefits or challenges around each
approach?
.
Ruari McCallion r.j.mccallion@btinternet.com
Logistics & supply chain Product
Recall
There have been a number of high profile product recalls in the last few years, for example Cadbury chocolate bars that had been contaminated by salmonella, Dell and Toshiba laptop computers with combustible batteries, and more recently, Mattel toys manufactured in China and contaminated by leaded paint.
Undertaking a product recall puts enormous strain on an already lean and efficient logistics and supply chain; it can tax the integrity of data capture, and reveal deficiencies in the traceability of parts or ingredients, and the outward supply chain to the end user. But waiting for disaster to strike and then failing to cope is not an option for companies keen to abide by the law, to protect their reputation and retain the good will of their customers.
This article will examine how companies put contingency plans in place for possible product recall. Beginning with risk assessment through to the development and design of recall processes, and planning for allocation of staff, IT and supply chain resources, we will develop some tips and a route map of best practice in product recall risk management. We will then speak to the likes of Cadbury, Mattel or Toshiba and Dell, and discover what lessons they learned from their experiences, and how they have honed their understanding of the product recall process.
Ruari McCallion r.j.mccallion@btinternet.com
Operations & maintenance Robotics
Can robotics provide the competitive edge that will enable UK manufacturers to compete with products manufactured in low cost economies? In this article we will discover how some medium and small manufacturers are taking full advantage of the flexibility, programmability and reliability of modern robotics, to invest in the future of UK manufacturing, and how they are competing successfully on a cost and quality basis, with other products manufactured in, say, China and India.
Speak to Jali – furniture maker that is completely robotic and manufactures directly from orders designed by the customer on the web. Speak to ABB etc etc.
Jayne Flannery jayne@easternfocus.co.uk
Energy & environment Environmental legislation
There are a number of key environmental legislation changes coming up this year that will affect the manufacturing sector. This article will look at the changes on the horizon, what this will mean for manufacturers, what they will have to do to comply with the legislation and the timescales involved.