2018Case14 BreedonCement

55 L EAN C ONSTRUCTION I RELAND A NNUAL B OOK OF C ASES 2018 to ensure production continuity. In Tier 2 any issues that cannot be resolved at the Tier 1 level are escalated to this middle management team meet at 9:15am. In Tier 3, issues that are Production-Stop-Status are resolved at the Tier 3 level who meet daily at 9:45am on key objectives for the site. Early interventions included training several Be Even Better practitioners across the site to Yellow Belt level, and then deploying them across teams to focus on a series of pilot improvement projects. One team project was started in the Central Control Room (CCR) to improve process control and real-time reaction to deviations from target in the cement kiln performance. A visual cube was established that has real- time KPIs that are updated manually by the control room technicians, and if they deviate outside control specifications immediate root cause analysis is triggered to stabilise the process. An hourly board measuring target versus actual was also deployed to bring problems to the surface. The team identified the Pareto of recurring problems and developed problem solving troubleshooting flow charts to guide the resolution of recurring downtime problems. The visual cube systems have also been replicated in the cement bagging department, culminating in an improvement of pack line OEE by 10%. A Lean warehousing wave of improvement projects was deployed in the warehouse focusing on min-max material replenishment levels. A formal 5S workplace organisation programme was initiated in the warehouse. The main benefits to date of this practice range from having large of amounts of obsolete stock dispositioned from the building, to reduced search time for parts and consumables due to greater levels of organisation. The Quarry area of the business benefitted from improvements via the A3 Problem Solving methodology. Line OEE has improved by 8%, overtime costs are substantially reduced, and quarry energy costs are reduced. Lean was piloted in the office with live finance KPIs on a visual cube with weekly stand-up meeting reviews. A selection of wins in Finance include: • Invoice PO accuracy improved by 20%. • Payment runs reduced by 50%. • One A3 project focusing on greater controls on system stock accuracy saved the business over significant saving’s per year. • Credit note issuing reduced by 80%. Finance also piloted a visual idea system for the plant with over 40 ideas implemented in the second half of 2017. This system has spread to all areas of the facility with a total of eight Visual Idea Boards (see Figure 1) across the site resulting in over 300 implemented ideas across the first three months from launch. Figure 1. Kaizen Teian – Frontline Idea Capture System. Communications Strategy Lagan developed a communications strategy for the entire business, the purpose being to make communications more consistent, disruptive, engaging, and effective. The company utilises several channels to communicate with the workforce and keeps the information fresh, action-oriented, and real. The fol lowing l ist shows the various communication channels: • 1-2-1 sessions. • Email. • Digital Displays. • Traditional Notice Boards. • Posters. • Internal social media (skype for business). • Quarterly infographics magazine. • Campaign monitor. • Quarterly business updates by business managers. • Yearly business update (videoed) from CEO. • Morning meetings with each team. • Tier 1, 2, and 3 meetings. • “Lagan View Magazine”. Employee Engagement – Q12 Survey Since 2003, the company runs its Q12 Engagement Survey twice per year. The Q12 is a long-established and well- renowned engagement survey developed by Gallup. It has 12 questions which provide the company with quantitative and qualitative data on the level of actively-engaged employees within the company. The foundation of the Q12 is based on four key elements that, if implemented, are proven to increase employee engagement. The company refers to these as the “Big Four” and they are: 1.Have you the tools and equipment to do your job? 2.Do you feel valued? 3.Do you feel you belong? 4.Are you learning and growing? This survey has provided management with substantial data over the years, and enables the company to benchmark its own progress against itself. The most important element of the Q12 is not the survey results, but rather the conversations within the individual teams afterwards wherein each line manager wi l l go through the Q12 resul ts for thei r team/department and ask how the line manager can “be even better” in delivering on the Big Four elements of the Q12. Figure 2. Q12 Survey Results. Great Place To Work Institute In late 2017, Lagan engaged with the Great Place To Work Institute, a not-for-profit worldwide organisation which has developed a detailed survey to measure the level of trust within an organisation. Lagan believe that trust is at the core of the employee relationship with the company, and this survey provides detailed quantitative and qualitative data on the levels of trust within the company. There are five key areas to measure: Trust, Credibility, Fairness, Camaraderie, and Respect. The most recent survey was carried out in December 2017, and the results were collated and published in February 2018. Lean Assessment A baseline Lean Assessment was conducted to provide input into the improvement roadmap – Hoshin Kanri X-Matrix – for 2017 and beyond. This was conducted by the senior