ARV Group
The Result Engineers
Velperweg 76,
P.O. Box 3034,
6802 DA Arnhem,
The Netherlands
Phone +31 (0)26-366 5475
Fax +31 (0)26-366 5856
infoarvgroupcom
www.arvgroup.com
ARV Group n.
1. professionals dedicated to helping professionals achieve lasting improvements by constructively analyzing existing operational patterns.
2. Also: specialists combining insider’s expertise with outsider’s “out of the box” vision
3. facilitators in not only becoming a market winner, but above all in staying a market winner.
Cases Quickchooser
Case 10>
Moving on the road to excellence:
Sara Lee CT&S
Essentials:
- structural improvements in productivity and raw-materials yield,
- resulting in millions of euros saved annually,
- establishment of performance-management system and manufacturing excellence procedures,
- and multi-year support on safeguarding corporate 'Lean' operational paradigm.
Sara Lee Corporation is a global manufacturer of foods and beverages with operations in nearly 200 countries and an estimated $ 10 billion in annual net sales. Coffee Treatment & Supply (CT&S), located in Joure (NL), produces coffee products for such worldwide known brands as Senseo, Moccona and Cafitesse (liquid coffee concentrate).
ARV Group's relationship with Sara Lee spans a decade. Manufacturing Director Liquids/Instants Jos Sluys originally contacted ARV Group with a request: could the group assist in starting a project in Joure to achieve manufacturing excellence, and provide custom-tailored guidance?
Master plan implemented
Working together with local Sara Lee management, ARV Group helped to define a project that not only identified the plant's key performance indicators, but also set in motion the steps needed to achieve real and lasting improvement: the master plan “Ready to Move” was implemented.
Small multifunctional teams of specialists were formed, facilitated by an expert from ARV Group. The teams focused on four performance criteria: costs, delivery reliability, product quality and output. The multifunctional nature of the teams also allowed the project to serve as one of the first steps on the road to ‘Lean’ manufacturing excellence, based in part on improving work processes by means of cross-functional cooperation.
Safeguard ‘Lean’ improvements
Following the success of the structural changes begun with the "Ready to Move" program, Sara Lee contracted ARV Group partners to safeguard the improvements made with its corporate “Lean” program in Santiga (Spain), Slough (UK) and Grimbergen (Belgium) as well. The program took into account the practical aspects of introducing a performance management system, an ongoing coordinated reporting and steering process, including the monitoring of performance by the operators themselves, and the use of kaizen to improve the standard.
In Joure, ARV Group was also called in to provide management coaching and deliver expertise for a ‘Lean’ maintenance program.
Manufacturing Director Liquids/Instants Jos Sluys: "ARV Group provided indispensable assistance in analyzing our site's performance and in helping to draw up our master plan, with resulting boosts to productivity, the systematic organization and rationalization of labor resources and information flows, and crucial energy savings."