Thwaites Ltd

The company wanted its staff to learn additional skills to help them solve problems and apply new techniques in their work to enhance efficiency.

Thwaites started the Business lmprovement Techniques (BlT) programme in 2O07 and 25 employees have since been trained, or are training in, BIT NVQ Level 2. The programme helps firms change their way of working, bringing about continuous improvement with training that is designed to be incorporated into business objectives.

Steve Trotman, Production and Personnel Manager at Thwaites, said: "ln choosing BIT learners, we looked at the training by department and selected key employees who could have an impact on changes, if they were made. The first group of 15 employees were really positive about the prospect of improving their skills and learning new techniques which could benefit their work. As a result, we have continued to roll out the training programme."

Many areas have benefited from the training, with the new techniques now being applied across the working environment. For example, the creation of a flow-line process for sub-assembly area and the review of the rework area (including risk assessment) enhanced overall efficiency and therefore increased productivity. The introduction of tick-sheets and standard operating procedures for storing chassis reduced wasted time. Similarly, costs were also saved by creating a procedure for the continuous supply of engine oil to the engine area.

Steve added: "lt has been encouraging to see how involving a number of employees has given them the confidence to tackle problems themselves.

Warwickshire College’s BIT Course Assessor, Kevin Quiggin, said: "The Business lmprovement Techniques learners at Thwaites have been keen, enthusiastic and eager to transfer their initial learning into practical improvement projects within their individual work areas.

"There has been steady progress as learners gained experience through the range of tasks in the six different disciplines that they needed to complete in order to demonstrate competency in their newly acquired BIT skills.

"Their activities using the BIT competencies demonstrated the advantage that companies can use to make business improvements to their working practices and ultimately their bottom line.”

Paul Evetts, Warehouse Controller, who has achieved BIT NVQ Level 2, said: "The training has helped me understand how to look for waste within a process and understand how important standard operating procedures are."

Graham Buswell, Piece Part Stores Supervisor, who achieved BIT NVQ Level 2 said: "The training has given me the tools to work much more effectively."