Examples of work we've done 

Manufacturing - automotive sector
Assembly volumes were being increased at a major automotive manufacturer so line-side processes and assemblies needed to increase as well. Detailed measurement and line re-balancing by Scott-Grant contract work study engineers helped to identify the need for any engineering changes so that the new target was met.

Manufacturing - construction sector
A manufacturer of products to the construction trades wanted standards for costing, planning and most importantly balancing the flow through the business. Senior Industrial Engineers measured, undertook method and process improvements, developed all the time standards and determined appropriate manning levels with the result that the company managed to adjust and condense shift patterns.

Manufacturing - engineering sector
Having won a multi-million pound contract to manufacture flow measurement devices, a company needed to rapidly get into production to produce the committed volumes, on time and within the tendered cost. After initial assembly trials there was concern over the actual required manufacturing time so a Senior Industrial Engineer was brought in on contract to undertake work measurement and line balancing. After improving the flow and recommending some small production changes the company quickly achieved the required volumes – and under the tendered costs.

Manufacturing - process sector
Having bought in components to manufacture plastic products for the last 20 years, the company had been relying solely on historical and inaccurate data. To manage the business better they invited us to produce accurate time standards, which resulted in significant improvements throughout, including better use of the space in their stores and factory operations.

Packaging sector
An overseas manufacturer of consumer products was appointed by a major UK company to undertake the manufacturing and packaging of some product lines, but it was found they weren’t producing at the committed costs. We were asked to review processes, methods, times and costs and identified where the problems lay. Line speeds were subsequently increased and activities balanced to the point where manufacturing costs were reduced by 18%.

Service sector
As they approached the renewal of a contract to provide outsourced admin work, a business became conscious that they would be under pressure to reduce their costs because they should now be more familiar and ‘expert’ with the routines required. They invited a Productivity Analyst to record the methods used to ensure that their standard operating procedures were correct and to develop time standards as a basis for new quotations and tenders. The Analyst identified almost 16% capacity much of which could be turned into cost saving.

Transport and distribution sector
A large warehouse operation increased the type and intensity of racking by about tenfold in a bid to consolidate various warehousing and offsite storage locations. A new warehouse management system was installed as part of all the changes, with the need to dramatically increase throughput. The warehouse nearly doubled its labour capacity as they began to firefight to deliver to their customers. A Senior Industrial Engineer with warehouse logistics experience was assigned to identify the causes of continual problems, to seek remedies and then to get management to implement them. A substantial revision of how activities were dealt with was required to operate the business at a different level than before; activities and processes that should have been improving the warehouse were falling short. A whole new operating timetable was produced to allow the work to flow, to enable loads to be fully completed and in a shorter time. The result of our intervention was to create for the business better customer service, a less stressful environment, a huge reduction in the temporary resource – and the elimination of a £25k/month adverse labour variance.

Warehousing
A long established warehouse operation had been managed substantially by experience and instinct – never with formal time standards or measurement as a basis. So as huge monthly fluctuations crept in to the business, output and manning requirement became severely affected. Volumes continued to increase by more than 30%, prompting the need for reliable information for standard operating procedures. A Senior Industrial Engineer was provided to create time standards for the complete range of tasks, thereby allowing them to meet the demand and operate effectively from their existing facility.