The Growth Hubs Enhancement Project is inspiring businesses to think more about their waste and efficiency utilising LEAN thinking through their popular Masterclasses which are enabling businesses to discover the benefits of LEAN thinking, which not only reduces waste but also improves productivity, efficiency, overall performance and customer service levels. The Masterclasses are part of a programme of support available to growth companies via the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub Enhancement Project, and is financed by the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
Organisations use LEAN thinking to improve customer satisfaction and they do this by organising their workplace to meet their customer demands more regularly and more consistently. To achieve this, they seek to eliminate from their work processes anything that does not add value to the customer and anything that increases the time for production or processing. By reducing variation in processes and workflow, the costs of production are reduced, then by meeting customer requirements in a cost-effective way, more demand is generated.
Our LEAN expert Richard Coombes from Valueadding.com says “These techniques and methods are increasingly used in public sector organisations as well as commercial ones. The principles of reducing wasteful or non-value adding activity apply, and examples of successful LEAN thinking are now found in local and central government departments, the NHS and the blue light services.”
The changes which are identified in any LEAN study are invariably designed following a thorough analysis of the “As Is” situation, taken from the customer’s point of view. This requires data collection and analysis, but also observation of the work system in practice, and often contact with the customers themselves. The best way to experience how well your organisation treats and serves its customers is to become one! A benefit of this approach is that it demands the involvement of all staff in making it successful, especially where changes in work practice are required, but staff generally understand the requirements of their customers well, sometimes better than the management. Empowering staff is a key element in successful programmes.
These fully funded Enhancement Project Masterclasses are led by Richard Coombes and are running across the Sheffield City Region. Register your business here.
The Sheffield City Region Growth Hub Enhancement Project is receiving up to £2.7m of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’ (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for the European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, business, create jobs and local community regeneration’s. For more information visit www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.