Client case studies
European Skid Centre Transformation
As ISO 9001 consultants specialising in business operations and regulatory compliance, Statius has worked for key components of an international and multi-billion turnover engineering company for in excess of 30 years. The first assignment was secured with a small subsidiary in 1994.
The Challenge
One of the original subsidiary contacts made a call to Statius asking if we would be interested in helping with the creation and certification process of a quality management system (QMS) for a new, centrally based, manufacturing facility, the European Skid Centre (ESC).
The remit of the ESC was to create and develop a range of standard refrigeration “skids”, which would also need to comply with EU regulatory requirements. These would then be sold to the various sister companies delivering refrigeration solutions in each of the nation-states throughout Europe.
The objectives of the new ESC were to:
- Create a range of standard refrigeration product and service offerings and in doing so;
- Significantly reduce the new product development timescales through cost-effective solutions;
- Significantly reduce product build times and costs;
- Significantly improve manufacturing margins;
- Free up expensive local engineering talent for higher-margin activities.
The creation of the ESC was a major departure for the Group with the creation of a truly international team drawn from various corners of the international operation, aligned with technical and management standards set by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).
Our Solution
Given the challenges and the ambitious goals of the ESC, we focused on creating solutions that addressed both operational efficiency and stakeholder alignment:
Defined and Communicated Value: To secure buy-in from sister companies, we articulated a clear purpose for the ESC:
“To grow your business and improve your profitability by providing proven, modular, competitive designs, allowing you to redirect your resources to break into new markets.”
- Aligned Goals Across Stakeholders: Workshops ensured the ESC’s goals aligned with corporate objectives and the operational needs of sister companies across Europe.
- Proactive Systems Development: Processes and procedures were designed not just to meet current needs but also to anticipate future demands and risks.
- Integrated Operational Processes: We created workflows that linked upstream corporate activities with downstream practices of sister companies, ensuring seamless collaboration.
Mapping external relationships and processes
Once the external interactions with the sister companies and technical centres had been documented and understood, specifically in relation to how the company was to deliver value, the second stage in the process was to derive a diagram, showing how the key internal processes interacted with the new ESC structures that were being developed from the ground up.
As experienced providers of ISO consultancy services, a series of workshops were undertaken with the leadership team, and all of the value-adding processes, from sales to warranty, were mapped out at the top level. This included developing comprehensive risk assessment and method statements and establishing internal audit protocols.
Lowest level flowcharts
The workshops fleshed out the detailed flowcharts at the lowest level, showing:
- Relationships and interactions with different staff and processes
- Relationships with other documentation (specifications, datasheets, calculations, testing arrangements)
The Benefits
In addition to achieving ISO certification, benefits included:
- The alignment of the objectives and aspirations of both internal and external stakeholders improved business operations and efficiency
- More structure was developed improving communications with European sister companies and the technical centers
- A defined set of key performance indicators was established and linked to processes and practices
- Real buy-in to developing robust and useful processes
- Significantly improved rigor was imposed on the process improving efficiency and effectiveness
- A comprehensive list of improvement projects was developed
- An agreed set of critical calculations, terms and conditions, forms and templates were agreed upon with the sister companies
- Registration at the first attempt
As leading ISO consultants and providers of ISO training UK services, we can help your organisation achieve similar results. For a consultative meeting or additional information, please contact Mark Woods on 07976 426 286, or email him at mwoods@statius.co.uk.
Whilst ISO is at our core, we want to bring a wider management view to the way which management systems are used. To reinforce this, we’ve been developing our blog pages where there is a lot more information, downloadable resources, hints and tips… all free!
