Peter Rowley Limited

May I firstly say thank you, for giving me this opportunity to feed back to you some of my thoughts and feelings about the BIT course.

I remember when our local Managers first discussed with us all how this course was going to work, who would be involved, and what was at the end of it.

Initially, the Company set off by giving us a wealth of information about Five S - (everything has a place, and there's a place for everything) and there would have to be commitment to some changes.

Our workplace has been heavily invested in, certainly in recent years at least, and so we could have been forgiven for thinking there was no room for improvement anywhere.

How wrong we were!

With the onset of Five S there was an air of cynicism, and no one was enthused...at all! Especially me!!! at the age of 61, what the hell was I going to do with an NVQ Level 2 in Business Improvement Techniques?.

We were told the course would last around 12 months, which made it appear even more daunting...

And more to the point, as I am the Branch Secretary of the B.F.A.W.U on site there were serious questions to be asked about job security, changes in terms and conditions, possible changes in hours, job descriptions.

The possibilities, and worries went on and on from shift to shift, and to almost all departments.

Certainly at the beginning of discussions, with Managers at all levels, I did not envisage an easy ride or any straightforward answers to any questions we may have wanted to raise.

Well, surprise surprise! All questions and concerns were answered openly, honestly, and in the true spirit of partnership.

There have been no job losses, no changes in terms and conditions, nor reduction in hours, or production, as a direct result of Five S and its associated terms such as TPM (Total Productive Maintenance).

THE COURSE

Once the introductions were done and course was under way, things did pick up.

It was not long before we all were talking about the course, its content and of course the facilitators.

As with all things, there were a small number of people who could not see the benefits at all, but at least they did the course.

What I was impressed with mostly, was the way in which each individual was given the time and support they needed depending on their individual needs.

The pace of the course was easy to keep up with and was delivered in a very professional way, with due consideration for people with aspirations or apprehensions

We all have different levels of ability to absorb and digest information, and "no-one was left behind worrying about catching up...We all finished each stage together".

It was quite warming to see both facilitators Simon Bennion and Ian Hayhurst getting involved as if they were part of the Warburton Team.

From the Good Morning at the start of shift, to the see you tomorrow, at the end of a shift, there was no let up in the support and advice whenever, and wherever asked.

It was just like "asking a workmate what was happening next, or what's this about" they were both familiarised with the processes of our site.

OVERVIEW OF FIVE S

The Five S programme itself has had an major impact on all areas of work, including Offices, Hygiene, Production, Despatching, Engineering, and Garage.

Accessing what we want, from where we want it, and whenever we want it, is so much easier and better organised than ever before.

“Essentially, the Five S programme is a transformation of the workplace”

So what does Five S stand for?

1.SORT

This involves sorting through everything in all work areas.

Keeping only what is necessary to hand, to do day-to-day tasks.

Any equipment such as materials, tools, equipment and supplies that are not frequently used should be moved to a separate, common storage area.

Items that are not used should be discarded.

2.SET

Storage areas, cabinets and shelves should be properly labelled.

Clean and paint floors to make it easier to spot dirt, waste materials and dropped parts and tools.

Outline areas on the floor to identify work areas, movement lanes, storage areas, finished product areas, etc.

Put shadows on tool boards, making it easy to quickly see where each tool belongs.

3.SHINE

Once you have everything, from each individual work are sorted (cleaned up) and organised, you need to keep it that way.

This requires regular cleaning.

4.STANDARDISE

Develop a work structure that will support the new practices and make them into habits.

As you learn more, update and modify the standards to make the process simpler and easier.

5.SUSTAIN

The final step is to continue training and maintaining the standards

HOW HAS FIVE S HELPED ME IN MY PARTICULAR JOB?

Having to access all working areas of the bakery both inside and out, also means I have to access equipment, goods, or materials, so knowing where everything is makes the job easier and less costly by not having to spend time searching around for something.

Offices throughout, have all shelf products labelled, and/or the shelf marked up appropriately.

Cupboards and Cabinets all clearly display their usage/contents.

In Production ALL PALLETS & CONTAINERS have SPECIFIC POSITIONS marked out.

ALL PRODUCTS/SUBSTANCES are CLEARLY MARKED UP and have a SPECIFIC PLOT.

All Brushes & Shovels for PRODUCTION ONLY have wall hooks.

All HYGIENE BRUSHES & SHOVELS are stored away from production and in a CENTRAL STORAGE CAGE.

Our Engineers Workshop is a pleasure to walk into, with shadow boards and a rolling shelf storage system, who could ask for more!

The Garage workshop is the same, shadow boards, tool kits marked up, storage cabinets marked up with contents, and cupboards / cabinets marked up with contents/usage.

All the equipment and tools we need on a day-to-day basis are within easy access of the job we need to do.

This is just the start, as we progress and improve, so does the job, and the Company benefits too because there is less cost in having people searching around for what they want.

Jobs get done much quicker, and efficiently, and the working environment is much safer to work in, which reduces the risk of accidents, which also keeps insurance premiums down.

Bill Clegg

Union Representative

Warburton's