Chemical companies need to leverage every resource available to achieve and sustain productivity gains. One found that by improving the leadership skills of its managers and supervisors, it could unleash significant gains in throughput, lost worker productivity, scrap and rework.
Our Approach
The project, in which Advisian partnered with the client in both design and implementation, focused on five critical areas of opportunity:
- Delivering management training (through a Resource Management Laboratory)
- Implementing sustainable operational changes Implementing on-the-floor management coaching for managers
- Implementing a comprehensive Execution Control System (ECSSM)
- Implementing a client-driven sustainability audit process
Our client worked with us to improve managerial skills to identify, analyse and remediate on-the-job performance problems and consistently implement operating principles and objectives. A continual evaluation of leadership competency and performance provided an ongoing feedback and development opportunity to keep managers’ skills sharp, ensuring sustainability of financial and operational improvements.
Value Delivered
While leadership development was the initial focus, the client also recognised the need to improve the performance of other important aspects of its business, including redesigning of operations processes and establishing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), establishing and implementing best practices, establishing clear roles and responsibilities, setting quantifiable and measurable goals and objectives, and developing management tools and systems to help implement and sustain the changes in management skills and behaviours.
Advisian exceeded the deliverables initially established with the client. Profitability improved, productivity increased, and management had better control over plant operations:
- 75% reduction in annualised hidden lost time: US$4.5 million
- Increased sales potential: US$7 million
- Potential savings in cost of goods sold: US$2 million
The project confirmed that there were critical personnel decisions that needed to be made, enabling the client to act on them effectively and quickly.