COMPERE: KEA Manufacturing is based in Albany, Auckland, where it has two factories. Implementing Lean Business systems has not only boosted quality and seen the company improve productivity and profitability, but also improved the staff work experience.
RODNEY ARCUS: New Zealanders historically have done it their own way, but there are better ways and Lean is definitely one of them.
NEIL MAXWELL: The Lean Business Programme is about helping firms to improve their competitiveness by increasing their productivity and as a result improve their profitability.
The first step is to ensure that we bring companies in that are ready to commit at that point in time.
The second step is to make sure that the senior managers understand Lean, and so we put them through a two day training programme at no cost to them so they understand Lean and particularly understand their leadership role in implementing Lean.
And the third step is to help them plan how they're going to involve the rest of the company. And so we co-fund for a consultant to work with them to develop an implementation plan.
The fourth step, which we have now implemented, is to co-fund them for up to $20,000 to use the consultant to help them implement in the first year of the programme.
MALCOLM HORNE: KEA Manufacturing is a motorhome manufacturing business for KEA Campers New Zealand and in Australia. We produce all motorhomes for KEA Campers in five different models for New Zealand and five different models for Australia as well.
Lean is a culture and it's a belief we have that it brings with it good efficiencies and just a good environment in which to work. It's good for the employees; they feel comfortable. And with that all sorts of quality aspects come out of it, plus efficiencies from a financial point of view.
It has made a huge impact on what we do in this place. It's improved staff relationships, it's improved efficiencies. We had a very favourable six months last year so it's shown that profitability and what the business has done, what it's done for us. It's also created a nice environment in which for the staff to work. People want to work here.
MARK JULIE: When I heard of the Lean programme I thought it was great. Finally we could put systems in place. We could look at efficiencies and we could upgrade our quality of our vehicles as well.
In the past we never had a store, for example. Today we've got a fully fledged store with a system in place called the camvan(*), which was implemented through lean manufacturing whereas we've got our walkways, we've got out designated areas for stock, designated areas for vehicles as well. Everything has got a place.
RODNEY ARCUS: Instead of doing 10 at a time now, we've changed the process to doing one vehicle at a time. The machinist will machine one complete set of joinery components. It will get processed through the various stages as one complete set and through to assembly, and the guys will completely assemble o finished van done, and then they start on the next vehicle.
If there's any problems, any mistakes in the programming, any parts that are damaged it's picked up straightaway and the problem is solved, and move on.
MALCOLM HORNE: I think it's imperative that all businesses look at different aspects, and each aspect of the Twenty Keys programme might affect different companies better but the ultimate result is productivity and efficiency that you want out of it, as well as quality and good satisfaction for your employees.
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