Background

The company is an independent public company carrying more than 195 million train passengers every year. The Group has an annual turnover of EUR 1.3 billion and employs approximately 9,300 staff.

Technical departments within the station service department were not functioning optimally. Employees were demotivated, lacking readiness for change, and had a poor work ethic and a high degree of inefficiency as a result. The company tried several approaches to optimise and motivate the department, particularly as some tasks were to be wound down over the next two to three years, but without success. It therefore turned to Mantec for assistance.

Implementation

Three key focus areas for the joint project were:

• responsibilities were analysed and broken down, which helped to develop plans for daily activities, identifying precisely which employees were responsible for each activity;
• employees were engaged on a daily basis in the challenges and decisions that arose – for example, when equipment broke down, or equipment investment was required, or illness led to staff shortages. This gave each employee a better understanding and acceptance of the decisions that were taken. Job satisfaction rose as prejudices against management's intentions diminished; and
• current asset management and preventative maintenance in all fields was developed. This had the benefit of ensuring a high level of service and increased efficiency.

Results

Motivation and job satisfaction increased considerably. Assets are now controlled and it can now be made clear which components are often failing, and which stations require more focus to maintain service levels. The result of this is that a scheme for coordinated and supervised preventive maintenance is now in place in all stations, enabling a higher level of service.

Parts of the department can now be outsourced or discontinued gradually as the new technology is implemented in all the individual stations, at a pace that the line organisation can handle.

Over the five months of the project:

• efficiency increased by 33%; and
• the return on investment in the project was 590%.

Background

The company is part of a large international conglomerate, market leader in Sweden and has operations in over 30 countries, provides a broad range of installation, commissioning and integration services for fixed, mobile and enterprise networks. It also offers network installation services as a natural extension of its core network construction business.

After several acquisitions on the Swedish market, the company’s need to integrate and create a common company culture became crucial, and it also became important to improve and streamline operational efficiency. Mantec was engaged to help the company achieve these objectives.

Analysis

During the initial analysis phase:

• key employees were interviewed throughout all levels of the company;
• the company’s operational processes were mapped;
• a study on the management information system was conducted; and 
• the general view on management and leadership was assessed.

The findings resulted in a clear problem definition upon which five subprojects were drawn up, each focusing on key problem areas.:

Key Focus Areas

Management Information System

Develop and implement a regional management system containing specific routines for control and follow up of daily activities, productivity and sales.

“Time is money”

Develop a system to ensure that executed orders are correctly invoiced and that invoices contain correct information to facilitate authorization of payment. Process design and develop a working methodology to increase average sales.

“Understanding of contracts”

Increase the level of knowledge amongst technicians regarding commercial issues. Produce tools and easy-to-understand summaries to support technicians, based on a thorough survey of the often complex nature of the commercial contracts.

Training management

Develop practical and hands-on training sessions for management.

Training technicians

Develop a hands-on programme to teach technicians how to embrace a more entrepreneurial attitude.

Implementation

The subprojects were coordinated and integrated to promote a substantial and specific way of doing business. Consultation with employees as actions were taken and programmes developed ensured their cooperation, commitment and participation. An actual change in behaviour and attitudes was observed through the implementation process, and this also showed in management reports.

Results

The key results of the project were:

• the successful implementation of a management information system to provide up-to-date, outcome versus set goals information;
• the successful development of a computer-based training program that facilitates roll-out to 3,500 technicians;
• increasing awareness among management and technicians of how each individual can contribute towards improved margins;
• increasing awareness among management and technicians of the fact that time is money, and that opportunities to increase sales should always be seized; and
• net profit margins improved by seven percentage points in certain pilot areas.

As a direct consequence of these encouraging results, the implementation and roll-out of actions and programmes to the rest of the regions was given highest priority.

Background

The company is part of a larger group and a global supplier to the automotive industry. Its cooperation with Mantec started with a three-week pre-study analysing operations, during which the following problems were identified:

• production lacked proper planning and follow-up;
• existing plans were not updated to take into account capacity and available time;
• no corrective measures were taken with lagging orders;
• focus and cross-functional cooperation was missing from the management group (which was new) and the shop floor; and
• discipline was lacking.

Implementation

After the pre-study the client decided to work with Mantec in a project designed to realise the identified improvement potential. The cornerstones of the project were:

• increased understanding of the production process;
• improved planning;
• increased availability in production (increased capacity); and
• improved work discipline.

Key focus areas for the project were:

Increased availability and understanding of the production process

A new method for problem solving was introduced. At the same time a cross-functional group was set up with the remit to come up with ideas to increase available time and lower cycle times. More than 200 actions were implemented as a result, and the group also made recommendations on how co-workers should act in different situations.

Discipline

A great deal of effort was put into changing staff behaviour at the lines, which at the start of the project was not satisfactory. Supervisory functions were trained in how to manage daily work and deal with confrontation.

Management system

A management system containing goals, reports and a structured schedule of meetings was implemented to better control operations. This involved creating a common platform for structured data collection and measuring principles. Thereafter plans were updated to reflect the new and more accurate data – for example, slack and security margins were removed. Finally a system for deviation handling was developed and implemented through a follow-up process containing appropriate reports and structured meetings.

Training

To help first line managers cope with the new and tougher demands, a number of workshops were conducted and followed up with individual coaching. The training material included details of management systems, planning, production follow-up, and ways of dealing with confrontation.

Results

The new management system now serves as a base for driving corrective measures and “continuous improvement”, and has created a new level for the work around productivity. All employees now have a better understanding of their own processes, productivity and use of the management system, as well as an increased understanding of other processes throughout the organisation.

Headline benefit to the client has been that it has exceeded its own tough goals of a 25% increase in volumes and a 30% reduction in direct salary costs.

Background

The client is a publishing group that is one of Sweden's leading publishers of books, audio books, music and merchandise. The company which dates back to the early 1800s, and which develops, produces and sells its products in close collaboration with many external partners, faces a number of challenges.

• Market conditions have changed. New sales channels have been developed, such as the internet and department stores, while retailers are consolidated through various chain stores. This has resulted in new buying behaviour among customers.
• Competing products on the market have proliferated and it is of increasing importance to have an impact on marketing to the consumer, directly or in cooperation with retailers.
• It has become increasingly important to be able to follow the profitability of a product, so that the "right" products are developed and produced.
• It is also important to generate easy mobility and shorter and more intensive selling periods, by combining traditional values of quality and sustainability of market demand.

The problem that the company faces is that despite these pressures, different business units work independently with little sharing of resources and experience.

Implementation

Mantec conducted and documented a detailed process review which identified several areas of potential improvement and led to change proposals for procedural improvements within and between processes. Shared resources were also identified along with the organisational changes that needed to be made. Key actions taken during implementation of the project were:

• new processes were defined with clarity in roles and responsibilities;
• the needs of the company were clarified and that knowledge was used to select a new IT solution;
• organisational changes were implemented to better accommodate the changing needs of the market and dealers; and
• cost of stock and associated obsolescence costs were analysed to inform stock control.

Results

The main benefits to the client of the change process were:

• total resource requirements were reduced as a result of enhancing efficiency and consolidation;
• cost control per product and product line was improved, as a result of introducing a new web-based monitoring tool for both revenues, costs and internal time; and
• efficiency has improved by about 10%.

In addition, the project has built a platform for continuous improvement – continued rationalisation and profitability through the new processes and tools introduced.