Podcast Archives - S A Partners: Recent Episodes
Megan James speaks to SA Partners Mat Jackson on his experience of deploying and sustaining operational excellence within the utilities sector. Understand why continuous improvement is needed now more than ever today within the sector, and how the approach can and should be adapted to fit the unique needs of the sector.
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The post The Insights Podcast – CI in Utilities appeared first on S A Partners.
In these podcasts we interview experts on all things Enterprise Excellence, sharing their story and their insights. Experts who believe in achieving sustainable change that betters more than just an organisations’ profit line. Experts who help organisations achieve a symbiotic relationship between environment and economics. Experts who believe in a culture of continuous improvement. We share world best practice and knowledge in achieving a win-win outcome for people, profit and the planet. Join us on this journey to excellence and help to create a better world for organisations, people and the planet.
To listen to these podcats, fill out the form provided, the link will be emailed to you on completion.
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- Country:*AfghanistanÅland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongo, Democratic Republic of theCongo, Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCôte d'IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatini (Swaziland)EthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRéunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint BarthélemySaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth GeorgiaSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan Mayen IslandsSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUS Minor Outlying IslandsUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe
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The post Enterprise Excellence Podcast Series appeared first on S A Partners.
This months podcast interview is with Ben Evans, who is the Process Improvement Manager at SSE plc (a utilities company based in Cardiff). Ben previously worked as a Lean Specialist and Programme Manager at Dwr Cymru Welsh Water and prior to that worked for the Lloyds Banking Group. We Learn about his Lean Competency System & Black Belt programme journey, where he successfully achieved certification and accreditation against the Cardiff University Lean Competency System- Level 2a – Black Belt, and how his personal experience has informed his outlook on Lean and Learning & Development programmes.
https://sapartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/BenSSE.mp3 When did you first learn about Lean Thinking?
My first interaction with Lean was about 4 years ago when DCWW began a reliability centred maintenance programme which would later be described to me as asset optimisation.
Why did you want to learn more?
I had a keen interest in Lean thinking straight from the off. The principals of Lean landed well with me and I could see a natural interest develop in me to learn more and become more involved to develop the skills and attributes to apply Lean within my working environment
When and how did you first apply what you learned and what were the results?
I became a Lean deployment specialist working closely with finance and procurement departments across Welsh water. My first opportunity to apply my learnings came within these areas where we identified some root causes to the problems that existed within the departments whilst carrying out some customer analysis work to clearly identify the value finance bring to the organisation and how their offerings are rated by the business using the KANO models basic, performer or delighted factors. The early results were very positive and there was a natural change in the mindsets of those exposed to Lean as they began to question their way of working and how they can provide more value to the organisation whilst identifying wasteful activity that provided limited value.
What have been your personal highlights during your Lean Learning Journey and why?
My personal highlights throughout my journey have to be the growth I’ve witnessed within myself. From an individual with limited knowledge of Lean to becoming a certified and accredited Black Belt. Working closely with SA partners has changed the way I come to work every day and enabled me with core skills and principals that will live with me for the rest of my career.
What is next on your Lean Learning Journey?
I have recently been appointed the Process improvement manager for SSE plc to review existing processes across their retail business, this includes smart metering, procurement, contact centres as well as marketing. My objective over the forthcoming months will be to understand the current business model at SSE and understand how I can apply my learnings at DCWW in this new environment whilst remembering the core principals of Lean as taught by SA partners.
What advice would you give to anyone considering applying Lean in their organisation?
Be sure to consult with professionals before beginning your journey. Don’t under estimate the value of professional services. Working with SA completely changed my mindset on how to approach a problem and allowed me to review the business I worked within in a completely different mindset. Lean has endless benefits but using SA partners maturity assessment you’ll ensure you target the right opportunities and make great progress from day one!
The post What has lean done for you? Ben Evans SSE appeared first on S A Partners.
In this new monthly feature we interview a Lean advocate who has travelled along a personal Lean learning journey. It covers when they first learned about Lean Thinking, what happened next and how their career has changed. In this month’s edition we focus upon Phil Shelley, Lean Enterprise Director, Becketts Foods, ‘Meat & Poultry Manufacturer of the Year’ winners.
These interviews are in written and/or audio recorded format. If you would like to be interviewed, why not contact us via our Contact Page – we’d love to hear about your personal Lean learning journeys …..
Interview:
https://sapartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Phil-Shelley.mp3 When did you first learn about Lean Thinking?
In the late 90’s I was working for an international packaging manufacturer when one of our key customers invited us to participate in a supplier circle. My MD asked me to head-up our team. The overall objective was to enable our customer to remove a third-party warehouse for packaging and raw material storage, by developing and implementing lineside Kanbans, into which we, and other suppliers, would deliver our goods, at their pull signal.
Why did you want to learn more?
Firstly, the project was completely successful, saving our customer £2M pa in storage costs. However, in order to effectively support our customer, yet avoid potentially massive costs to us, we had, supported by consultants, mapped our own processes, deployed Lean tools such as 5’S, measured, understood, and controlled the demand amplification in our supply chain. I began to realise that I had a flair for engaging people in the processes of transformation, from raising awareness to implementation, but didn’t yet have the expertise in Lean Thinking to stand alone.
When and how did you first apply what you learned and what were the results?
Pretty much as I’ve already described. It wasn’t all plain sailing, of course, and I encountered barriers and blockages along the way, and still do. Overcoming them is part of the fun.
What have been your personal highlights during your Lean Learning Journey and why?
I’ve achieved some great financial results through Lean (£2.5M pa saving in process losses, for example), however, the people-related successes are the ones of which I’m most proud. Take Tomasz, a burly warehouse operative, who flatly refused to take part in a stock management project. After we’d implemented 5’S, Visual Management, and Kanbans in his work area, I became his best friend, because his work had become so much easier. He wasn’t spending so much time in the refrigerated stores, and he could easily find the material he needed – every time. Tomasz is now a convert.
What is next on your Lean Learning Journey?
Six sigma? I am not a figures person, so I have always ensured I have team members with complementary skills. However, it is an area in which I would like to progress, although at the back of my mind remains the thought that when it’s my last day on earth I will spend it with a statistician; they will make the day go so much more slowly!
What advice would you give to anyone considering applying Lean in their organisation?
Go in with eyes wide open and be fully committed. I am relentless in the pursuit of perfection, so if any member of your top team is not up for Lean, don’t start until you’ve convinced them, or be prepared for potential casualties. And finally, on a lighter note, use humour as a pathway to engagement, and never stop having fun!
The post What has lean done for you? Phil Shelley, Becketts Foods appeared first on S A Partners.
In this podcast we talk to Fiona Buttrey, who is the technical manager at Vale in Swansea. Fiona has been at Vale since before they started their CI journey, and has seen the progress made within the organisation which resulted in Vale winning a Shingo medallion.
https://sapartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Fiona-Buttrey.mp3 Below is a transcript of the interview:
When did you first learn about Lean Thinking?
I started getting interested in Lean while studying for a part-time MBA at Cardiff Business school. My dissertation was around operations management, looking at how we could optimise our supply chain at Clydach Refinery. I was not able to implement all the ideas at the time, but as I progressed into a management role I had more opportunity to make changes. I later attended some training with Peter Hines at LERC which built on those foundations.
Why did you want to learn more?
I saw huge potential to make our work safer, easier, cheaper and more effective. Who wouldn’t want to do this?
When and how did you first apply what you learned and what were the results?
When Mike Cox took over as General Manager at Clydach, we both shared the same ideas. Mike had learned about lean from his visits to customers in Asia. We started implementing some lean tools in 2008, and really started our strategic lean programme in 2009.
What have been your personal highlights during your Lean Learning Journey and why?
Finding out that the Refinery had won the Shingo Silver medallion for Operational Excellence. This was truly a team effort, with virtually everyone on the site speaking to the examiner team during their visit. All our employees were tremendously proud of what we had achieved, and the process also helped everyone to see how far we had come. Everyone did a brilliant job explaining what we do, why we do it and how we’re making it better every day.
What is next on your Lean Learning Journey?
I have trained as a Shingo Examiner, and I’ll be travelling to Ireland on a site visit later this month. It’s a great opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the Shingo model, and to see best practice in action. I’m sure I’ll pick up some ideas that I can bring back and implement at my workplace too. There is always something to learn.
What advice would you give to anyone considering applying Lean in their organisation?
The biggest mistake people make is in thinking that lean is all about tools. Tools are simply a means to help you to achieve whatever you aim to do as an organisation. You need to select the right tools to accomplish your goal – and you need to get everyone behind your strategy. You also need to engage and empower your people, and ensure that leaders really drive the change. Ultimately you need to create a culture in your organisation which supports this new way or working. It’s easy to sustain the change for a short time, but it’s difficult to keep it going over months and years. It takes a lot of time and effort. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it! Stick at it!
The post Fiona Buttrey, Technical Manager at Vale appeared first on S A Partners.
In this months podcast feature, we interview Maria Pia Caraccia who is the Regional Logistics Continuous improvement Manager for the America’s at Panalpina.
https://sapartners.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ContinuousImprovementJourneyPia.mp3 When did you first learn about Lean Thinking?
My first contact with lean thinking was a long time ago while I was still in University. Back then I learnt theoretical concepts and as I did not have experience, I thought of these as being related mostly to manufacturing. As time went by, I saw bits and pieces of this being implemented in different companies.
Why did you want to learn more?
I thought Lean was all about the numbers; cutting costs, creating dashboards. I was wrong, and it wasn’t until I joined Panalpina 3 years ago that I really understood what Lean was. I saw change happening…I saw purpose, people getting engaged… I saw commitment, teamwork and results improving as a consequence of the above. How could I not want to learn more after seeing all that? By then I had learnt that in truth, Lean is a way of getting to the minds and hearts of people, of aligning them towards a common goal – adding value. Lean is not focused on cutting costs! It is focused on adding value, focused on enabling growth by freeing up capacity and expanding the business. Lean is a mindset that drives effective behaviors in the organization. It is a way to reach every employee, to create culture; to drive change.
When and how did you first apply what you learned and what were the results?
I started by deploying a series of workshops aimed at raising awareness amongst the employees. I wanted to share with them my learning; I wanted them to see how I see. We had open talks about whether we really understood what our customers’ value, about focusing on the right things to deliver that, about working together as a team with no areas or barriers. I could see them thinking, I could see them questioning their old ways of working and fighting to break paradigms. After a couple of trainings the change in mindset was evident, there was now alignment between the customer and the service. After some practical workshops, they had managed to translate what we had studied into their daily jobs; they developed a new way of working, one that would make their lives and the lives of their customers better. There were no longer scattered thoughts, there was no more rivalry between areas; now there was one team working for one purpose, there was commitment and along with that came the results. A lean culture was being developed…
What have been your personal highlights during your Lean Learning Journey and why?
At the beginning I was skeptical to believe such a change was possible. At the time we started with Lean in Panalpina, I was helping on the turnaround of a warehouse of 300 employees. I thought changing the mindset of all that people would require a tremendous effort, especially since they had been working under the same conditions for over 7 years. Sometimes we underestimate people’s will to change…. After just one workshop I already had a team of 5 multipliers. After a year, a 15% of the warehouse had been certified in lean awareness. A major turnaround…From being the worst warehouse in the world, in a period of just two years it became the very best showcase at Panalpina.
My highlight of this journey? There’s lots of people out there who want to change…in some cases they need guidance, in others WE just need to listen!
What is next on your Lean Learning Journey?
My next journey is all about sustainability and scalability. How can we ensure that the culture that we have created over the past 3 years is sustainable and how can we spread it across the organization. In order to do that, we are developing a Logistics academy aimed at keeping Lean as part of the DNA of our organization. We are creating an open source of Lean knowledge within Panalpina that everyone can access. We are developing trainings for different levels, encouraging cross-regional trainings and coaching people to become multipliers of the Lean culture.
What advice would you give to anyone considering applying Lean in their organization?
Along our lean journey our key learning was that the focus should not be on the tools but on the people. We used to develop these very complex tools when the truth is, we are simple people. If you intend to engage everyone, then make it for everyone. The best ideas come from the people that are working on the process every day. They hold the knowledge to improve. It is a matter of listening and enabling them to get better.
It takes time and effort, it is not an easy journey but it pays off when you see the change in your employees, when you see them smile. I would say GO FOR IT!
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