Lean Business Solutions have worked with the UK subsidiary of a global manufacturing business, Rosti, who mould, decorate and assemble components for the business machine and automotive markets. Previous successes have seen implementation of Lean Manufacturing leading to the business producing 35% more sales with the same size workforce. By implementing 1 piece flow in their assembly area productivity at the firm increased 42% whilst through a 5S programme the plant achieved a national award for safety due to the reduction in the number of accidents.
Through including the whole supply chain in the process we were able to deliver benefits to each part of the supply chain. Rosti are utilising this approach with other customers and it has enabled us to increase sales and customer satisfaction through sharing cost improvement benefits. We value the support of Lean Business Solutions in facilitating this process on our behalf.”
David Knight, COO
Overview & Process
Overview: The value stream mapping workshop was set up to remove excess stock from the supply chain by mapping the process from order generation at the customer through order processing at Rosti and into their supply chain. The work shop was facilitated by Kerry Cochran of Lean Business Solutions Ltd. and included the end customer, Rosti (LBS Customer), and a key supplier in China.
Process: Lean Business Solutions worked with both Rosti and their customer to obtain process measurements of how long steps take to generate and process orders from the customer through to sub contractors. Then we identified all commercial agreements MOQ, Lead time etc. Next it was important to measure stocks at each stage of the process. Prepare current state maps of the process. Identify wastes. Prepare future state maps and action plans to achieve future state map. Results included:
- Lead time reduced from 46 weeks to 8 weeks
- Material savings across the supply chain in excess of £1.75 Million
- Reduced “noise” in the supply chain
- Sales potential increase of 35%
Rosti Sigma Green Belt Training in Rosti China
Thirteen participants took part in a two-week training session of the Rosti Sigma Green Belt programme in China! After these two weeks, they are now playing their roles, to lead the continuous improvement activities in Rosti China.
It was a really fantastic learning journey. Participants learned many useful Rosti Sigma applications, such as Minitab (a statistics tool), SIPOC (logical reasoning and problem solving tool) and so on. Now the Green Belts are preparing their improvement projects. The Green Belts are ready to be the facilitators for continuous improvement, who will deliver advanced improvement ideas to others in our daily work. We look forward to seeing the changes happen in the company.
Actually, everyone in the company should understand the Rosti Sigma concept and contribute their valuable opinions. With the mentoring by Black Belts and the Master Black Belt, everyone in the company can be the process owner and stakeholder of the Green Belt projects.
Rosa Luo, HR Officer Rosti, Suzhou, China