Picme Delivers Clear Advantage To Innovia

Innovia, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of BOPP and cellulose film are on track to achieving seven figure savings and a 10% capacity increase, thanks to a strategic partnership with business improvement specialists, picme.

The remarkable results, which reach across both of Innovia’s sites, are being delivered over a 2 to 3 year period through picme’s Clear Advantage™ programme. This takes a structured, strategic approach to sustainable business improvement and is particularly effective in embedding a culture of continuous improvement into a company’s DNA.

Under the programme, picme works with senior management to develop a bespoke strategic framework which aligns all aspects of business improvement to the company’s overall goals. This is then translated into a route map for implementation and achievement of those goals within appropriate timescales. There are 5 stages to the Clear Advantage programme: Strategy Development, Organisational Review, Strategy Development, Mentoring and Ongoing Review.

“Taking a structured approach means that everybody in the company knows what is required of them in order to meet specified targets and, crucially, the planned improvements ensure that one area of a business is not profiting to the detriment of another.” says Jason Barclay, picme’s General Manager.

Picme worked together with Innovia’s senior management team to set realistic targets, including reducing Group working capital by £10 million, and operating costs across both sites by 7 figures. Diagnostic activities such as benchmarking and Value Stream Mapping together with analysis of cash cycles within the supply chain were undertaken to identify opportunities for improvement.

The opportunities were prioritised based on benefit versus the resource needed to deliver the necessary changes. Those selected were then further prioritised and given an owner and the requisite resources and deadlines for completion. Each project was also allocated budget savings targets which fed into Innovia’s overall Profit Improvement Plan.

To ensure continued success, picme assisted Innovia in the establishment of KPIs and also in the design and deployment of Lean Management Systems across all of the operational areas. In addition process confirmation has been introduced to ensure key processes within the business continue to be followed. Picme has also provided training and mentoring support throughout the entire process.

Dave Dewiss, Manufacturing Director at Innovia is delighted with the results of the Clear Advantage™ approach, saying: “Engaging Picme to refocus our efforts, starting at Board/Executive level, has worked extremely well. We now have all of our departments working to daily KPI’s with good visual displays and stand-up meetings which are focused, to the point and with actions for further follow- up, all feeding into the plant and business KPI’s.” He added “Picme has pulled all parts of the business together. We’re now sharing information and we have the same rigours and common goals. I feel that we do now have an excellent, sustainable process.”

The results at Innovia contributed to picme’s being awarded Business Improvement Partner 2013 at the recent Chemicals Northwest Awards.