Food & Drink
Swizzels Matlow
Employees at the ‘Heart’ of OEE Improvements
Building Generations of Loyal Staff
Swizzels Matlow is a family run business in all respects. It is run by the 3rd generation of the founding families, and is where generations from the same families work side by side. Employing nearly 600 employees, this New Mills based confectionery manufacturer and global exporter, encourages incredible staff loyalty, with over 20% of employees having worked for the company for over 20 years. Swizzels Matlow definitely recognise their employees are their best asset, continually investing in their personal and professional development, the results of which clearly speak for themselves.
Solution
CQM Training & Consultancy Ltd were asked to partner with Swizzels Matlow to continue an existing programme of development. CQM T&C’s facilitation provided employees with the right skills, knowledge, and most importantly the appropriate behaviours and values which will continue to motivate and empower teams to identify process improvements, positively impact upon the overall efficiency of the site, and consequently drive an increase in production.
“2 main issues which we focussed our projects on would impact my department greatly and save extra work that we are currently having to do. Implementing the improvements would really make me feel like I’ve made a worthwhile contribution to the business.”
Results
Each team worked on improvement projects with an OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) focus, providing them with the opportunity to put the theory into practice. Embedding their new skills and behaviours in this way enabled employees to realise the true impact they can have on the business and the potential cost savings they can make for the company.
One particular project identified areas for improvement in the production of the synonymous Love Hearts sweets. A 15% target increase in OEE for the line was set as the objective.
Through employing their newly acquired problem solving tools and techniques, and by gathering accurate data which underpinned their findings, the team were able to demonstrate with conviction, why the current OEE rate for the line was below target. Moreover, they were able to provide practical solutions which had been researched and costed, and which could potentially save the company significant sums of money, impacting their bottom line.
Outcomes
Working in mixed teams of people from a variety of different departments has enabled the employees to have a greater understanding and appreciation of the roles and responsibilities of their colleagues. The teams are more aware of the impact they have both further up and down the line.
Vitally for the success of the programme, from the very beginning the teams have had the buy in and support of Senior Management, most notably, Jeremy Dee – Company Director, Nici Matlow -HR Director, Paul Harvey Head of Operations, Tony Brown Head of Production, Ivan Ivanov CI Manager and Michelle Bailey Training and Development Officer.
“It was good to put on a different hat and get away from the day job to see other areas of work. The programme is something you can really get your teeth into, and think about. It gives you the opportunity to use a different skill set, and to be more analytical.”
“The partnership with Swizzels Matlow is one that I would like to see continue to grow and develop. We are now about to expand the delivery to encompass an Advanced Team Leader programme which should further embed the right behaviours, values and skills which will see Swizzels Matlow go from strength to strength.”
“We don’t see training as a ‘tick box exercise’ and wanted a provider who shared our vision. CQM T&C’s workshops have been put together very well and the needs of our business have been taken into account. CQM T&C have delivered a high standard of training and because of this our employees feel motivated and morale has improved.”
Training Solutions
- Food Manufacturing Excellence (L2 & L3)
- Food Industry Skills (L2)