Press Release 17 November 2015
When Lean Works Engaged, motivated and inspired are just some of the words used to describe the team at Entek International ("Entek") in Newcastle by recent visitors. One of the UK's best factories and winner of a number of industry awards, the company is a fantastic example of what is possible when the leadership team and all employees are committed to Lean and Continuous improvement. The recent visit organised by Onsite Insights included presentations by Entek on the company, their approach to Lean and how they engage with their employees. The visit also included an informative site tour of the factory to see first hand how lean has been implemented and has become part of their culture.
Visitors from Fujifilm Diosynth, Falcon Food Service, and DHL attending the visit to Entek on 11 November 2015
One of the excellent debates amongst attendees was around initiating and sustaining Five S. Five S is a continuous improvement tool used in many of the world's best companies to assist in workplace organisation. Entek are about eleven years into their Lean programme and have a very highly organised work place. They apply Lean in all aspects of the business, not just production. Five S and standard operating procedures are also evident in the office areas. Neil Craggs the plant manager of Entek said "When initiating Five S it is useful to focus on one area at a time. Take an area of production and review the work area and the end to end process. Shadow boards (a useful method of organising tools and items used in a work place) should be introduced where necessary, tools labelled and communication boards installed. Videoing the work flow is often useful to really see what is happening. Then it is necessary to clean up, removing anything not required for production and ensure it doesn't return! By creating a work area that is organised, clean and tidy inspires others to adopt the approach. Seeing first hand what is possible is normally enough to get buy in from the
Press Release 17 November 2015 workforce. It can then be rolled out and adopted sequentially across the factory. Once adopted in all areas, constant monitoring and auditing of standards is essential as without it habits and bad practices will slip back into play." This discussion on initiating Five S led into another good debate on the level of continuous improvement initiatives required to make a real difference. Entek use the term PDCAs (Plan Do Check Act - a problem solving tool), other companies call them Kaizens (a Japanese term used to define quick and easy business improvement activities). One visitor said they had focused on around eight projects over the last 18 months. Entek correctly identified that at this speed they would not get the traction required to make a real change to their company. Entek's approach which is common amongst many World Class companies, is to target a constant stream of small incremental improvements. Their target is two per month for each individual, this is tied to personal development plans and as such individual bonuses. Lean does work at Entek. It works because of the culture, because the management team and every member of staff understands its value and role in sustaining the factory as one of the best in its industry. It works and it has ensured an environment that stimulates innovation, a focus on the future and has created a positive, motivated team. Entek International have been a host company on the Onsite Insights programme for over five years. Brian Dickinson, the sites Lean Manager said "The reason we host visits is because we value the engagement with other companies and sharing what we’ve learnt with others. Our employees enjoy meeting and presenting to external visitors and talking about how far they have come and sharing their goals for the future." For a chance to visit Entek International in 2016 visit the Onsite Insights website at www.onsiteinsights.co.uk. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Ailsa Kaye Programme Director Onsite Insights Limited Phone: 0783 222 3453 Email:
[email protected] Website: www.onsiteinsights.co.uk
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
Onsite Insights Onsite Insights is a best practice, company visit programme delivered across the UK. The programme exists to encourage the sharing of innovation and best practice between companies. It is successful as it is delivered by businesses who are passionate about continuous improvement for organisations that wish to improve. To date over 10,000 people have used the programme, which was set up in 2004. Further information about Onsite Insights phone: 023 9246 8978; or email:
[email protected] or via the website www.onsiteinsights.co.uk
