— Tim Murray , Associate Director , Newton

on their way of doing things , meaning standard operating procedures are ignored . However , rather than forcing standardisation , the best way to implement change is to engage the workforce . Show them the root cause of the issue , agree a new process and demonstrate a better way to make their job easier . This won ’ t always be fixed at the first try but , by learning what is going wrong and approaching this as an opportunity to improve , employees gain a stronger understanding of the manufacturing issue and how to fix it .”

Ensuring that workers buy into any of these changes and understand how it benefits them is one of the key ingredients manufacturers need in order to combat efficiency issues . However , it is important manufacturing businesses realise optimising processes is difficult . Murray concludes : “ It takes a combination of excellent technical skills to identify the right places to focus and design the solutions , unwavering determination that means that improvement work doesn ’ t stop as soon as the first blocker rears its head and the ability to engage the workforce to want to change . Applying rigour through analysing your data is also key , meaning you are aware of your biggest inefficiency . Lastly , have measures in place so when things go off track again you can gain visibility again quickly .”

As illustrated , seemingly small problems can add up to millions of pounds lost within the myriad of manufacturing thanks to the habit of overprocessing .

47