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Culture Change  - Created a culture of continuous improvement at a traditional textile company employing over 600 people.
- Project started with an analysis of the business process from sales order processing through to despatch.
- Analysis identified weaknesses in line management, performance reporting and no routine involvement of supervisors in performance improvement initiatives.
- Working with the management supervisory team (21 people), installed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for waste, efficiency and productivity for each department. These were used at a weekly performance improvement meeting.
- Provided assistance with specific improvement initiatives that the weekly meetings generated, such as improved product identification and tracking.
Results- Annual savings of £320k p.a. were achieved as a result of reducing waste by 20% and increased productivity.
- Savings were over three times anticipated level and very significant in low margin business.
- MD stated that recent merger 'would not have been possible without the work done by Marcus'.
- Training and development of workforce featured in BBCs 'Working Lunch' special on the textile industry, Dec. 1999.
Service Tendering - Redefined distribution requirement for national high street printing chain with centralised production hub.
- Involved all staff who interfaced with the distribution process. This included staff from production, despatch, all UK stores, customer service and accounts department.
- Developed new distribution process that placed full control of delivery details with the stores by integration with the company IT system and network.
- High priority was ability to make changes just minutes before jobs were dispatched. Was previously very time-consuming and manual process, which was prone to error.
- Other tender criteria were billing requirements, service levels, off-site consolidation and multiple pick-ups.
- Invited tenders from suitable distribution companies, with only three companies meeting the provisional requirements.
Results- Effectiveness of new process has allowed despatch volumes to
more than double without the need to increase staffing levels.
- Store staff now have more time to add value and provide enhanced customer service.
- Off-site consolidation and multiple pick-ups have reduced distribution costs while increasing production space.
- Successful distribution provider (TNT) state that process is 'unique in the country' because of the level of integration into company processes and IT system.
Production & Capacity Planning - Dramatic improvements achieved at nation-wide supplier of stir-fry vegetables to supermarkets.
- Process analysis identified major weaknesses in production and supply chain planning. For example, poor volume 'guesses' were routinely made when committing to seven-day bean-sprout growing cycle or fresh vegetable purchasing schedule.
- Excessive use of overtime and temporary labour coupled with high waste levels were crippling the company.
- Developed PC based 7 day, 24 hour capacity planning system.
- Defined new planning role and trained staff in use of historical sales figures, weekly / monthly forecasts and measurement of planning accuracy.
Results- Reduced waste by 20% and labour costs by 25%.
- These reductions were more than twice the level anticipated by the company.
- New labour costs were lower than thought possible by the MD and led to significant budget revisions.
Rapid Change - Major project at international manufacturer of domestic appliances.
- Goal was rapid cost reduction and implementation of product customisation strategy.
- Worked in motor winding & assembly, PCB assembly, water filter packing & assembly, and accessory departments.
- Conducted brown paper analyses, installed production & quality KPIs, trained management & supervision in pro-active management techniques, problem solving and financial reporting, implemented (and initially chaired) daily production planning meetings.
Results- Reduced labour costs by £150k and WIP by £30k in just 6 weeks.
- Summer production peak completed without temporary labour when more than 150 normally used.
Strategy Planning & Implementation - Developed, planned and implemented new strategy with corporate-wear clothing manufacturer.
- Off-site strategy sessions identified the need of existing customers for increased product range and quicker turnaround of smaller orders.
- Chose not to compete with high volume foreign imports or to expand customer base.
- Key action was to set up multi-skilled teams to specialise in short lead times and new product areas.
Results- Teams reduced typical lead times from 10 days to less than one day.
- Success of strategy required 10% increase in workforce to cope with extra demand.
For Strategic business planning and budgeting consultancy
Business Process Re-engineering
/ IT System Definition - Major IT-based re-engineering project for importer and nation-wide distributor of wooden furniture and paneling.
- Initial process analysis identified significant weaknesses in current process, especially in manual sales order processing system, but also in purchasing, supply chain management, stock control and distribution.
- Rejected proposed new IT system as it failed to address issues raised from the analysis.
- All processes re-defined in a number of off-site sessions with the senior management team.
- Produced detailed ITT document and managed system selection process.
Results- Radically changed company's perception of their business
process and how it should operate.
Line Efficiency Improvements - Analysis of line efficiency at highly automated, state-of-the-art mobile phone assembly plant run by multi-national electronics organisation.
- Identified weaknesses in line management, line balancing and performance reporting.
- Installed new measures that enabled team leaders to identify line bottlenecks more effectively, so able to take more oppropriate corrective actions.
- Improved monitoring of surface-mount machines graphically highlighted problem areas so that maintenance interventions were more successful.
Results- Line efficiencies increased by 10% within six weeks.
Management Team Development - Galvanised line management team and achieved major gains in performance at bespoke envelope manufacturer.
- Delivered training and implemented systems for team briefings and employee appraisals.
- Implemented weekly management team meetings to focus on performance improvement.
- Priority was to improve On Time Delivery, which required all departments to improve and work together more effectively.
- Sales team trained in basics of production planning to prevent impossible promises being made.
- All department managers developed and implementing an agreed action plan and set up key measures.
Results- Productivity increased by 10% and On Time Delivery improved
from 75% to 95% in six months.
Order Fulfilment - Developed PC based stock management system for supplier of timber products to trade and major DIY chains.
- System enabled stock replenishment to be planned more efficiently by providing daily production, stock movement and purchasing plans.
Results- 100% next day delivery (demanded by major customers) was achieved within four weeks while overall stock levels were
reduced.
- Improvements lead to company achieving 'Top 10' supplier rating for the first time.
Preventive Maintenance - Installed Preventive Maintenance system for 80 deep-draw presses at supplier to international cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.
- Implemented daily, weekly, monthly and annual schedule of machine checks and maintenance.
- Installed weekly efficiency KPIs to monitor success of the maintenance programme.
Results- Major, previously undetected, lubrication contamination
problem discovered within weeks.
- Machine efficiency rose by 10% in 3 months.
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Real results achieved