Leading manufacturer of artisan food products Birch & Waite has contracted consulting company Corporate Partners to help implement a Lean Manufacturing Program throughout their business.
It comes after the Senior Management at Birch & Waite recognised the need to identify and address inefficiencies in their manufacturing processes in order to fuel growth into new market segments.
“We were thrilled to be able to introduce Birch & Waite to a variety of Lean Tools. These included 5S, Value Stream Mapping, Visual Workplace Management and Mini Business Teams,” said Ray Edwards, Managing Director of Corporate Partners.
“Employees are more engaged and empowered now, and as a result our absenteeism has also gone down.”
An important part of the program was a company-wide focus on safety that has resulted in a reduction in lost time from injuries and the company has saved an impressive $265,000 in workers compensation premiums.
“The companies we work with are often surprised at the volume of savings they will achieve by implementing Lean processes. These savings are not just one off, they are on-going, and that’s why our programs usually pay for themselves in under 12 months,” said Mr Edwards.
Black & Waite is a successful Australian manufacturing company that has been creating delicious food for more than 30 years. The company’s Managing Director, David Charles, said Black & Waite has benefitted greatly from implementing Lean Manufacturing through Corporate Partners.
“We have increased our production efficiency, and more importantly, this has been sustainable. We have been able to have a safer and more productive environment through our 5S training. Our company is now a much more agile and innovative organisation. This has been recognised with Birch & Waite being named in the BRW Magazine‘s top 50 most innovative companies for 2014. This is a very pleasing achievement by our business and testament to the engagement and dedication of all our staff,” Mr Charles said.
“We have been very pleased to work with Corporate Partners on our business improvement program, the business is now well positioned for further expansion. Our growth will be focused on offering our clients high-quality innovative products and customer-focused service.”
