Heras

The most important changes

Thanks to a number of structural and far-reaching changes, the project team quickly achieved results. We have summarised the most important ones once more:

• The organisational structure was adjusted so that the right responsibilities lie with the right people. Specifically, the number of management levels went from three to two, new job descriptions were created and all managers had to apply for the position they aspired to. Together with rolling out the project objectives to all departments, this ensured that managers cooperate in a motivated way to achieve results;
• The administrative tasks were centralised (both literally and figuratively) so that duplication of work is avoided and people can take over tasks from one another. This benefits the continuity of production, as the team leaders can be present on the floor much more;
• A new communication structure with a new accompanying reporting system was implemented, so that the right information reaches the right person at the right time and corrective action is taken at the right hierarchical level in case of deviations;
• The work schedules of more than 100 people were aligned;
• Managers were trained, both in the classroom and on the job, in managing people and in ‘management by objectives’. This enables them to manage, follow up and proactively guide their people better;
• Staff planning was developed, based on realistic standards and forecast workload, across the five different production departments. As a result, managers plan staff in a very cost-conscious way, which has a direct effect on productivity;
• The flexibility of the people was also increased. Each employee in production is expected to be able to perform at least two other activities or tasks besides their core skills. Because employees can thus be deployed in multiple places, productivity could be increased. In both production and logistics, it becomes possible to better match available and required capacity.