The warehouse project was actually pretty successful. We implemented fully fledged management systems in all their warehouses, trained management in management skills, implemented relevant KPIs, a planning tool and master schedule, supervisory shop floor tours... Well, the fully monty really.
I never thought I'd ever become an expert in warehousing and distribution. In a later project I was able to deepen my knowledge in that sector even further.
Saturday, 9 May 2009
Friday, 8 May 2009
Mazda - Warehouse Management (1)
This is Dominic. He helped me loads in the project and was probably one of my best ever task forces. He was working as warehouse manager somewhere in the Midlands. The company gave already up on him, so they handed him over to me. He was extremely keen on getting trained up, he is intelligent, and after a while he knew "where to dig". He actually became a good consultant, as I trained him up like a junior consultant. After the project he was overqualified for his work. I think one day he wrote to me telling me he got promoted. That was good news.Anyway, what we did with the warehouse section, we thorougly analysed them all. I think they had 5 throughout the country. They were all lacking the same: standards for each activity, good management, daily follow-up on the operation, no planning, no measurement of results... Basically, they had nothing and we had to start from scratch.
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Mazda - Organisation
The organisational development bit turned out to be pretty difficult. What we did was to create an "Organisational Brown Paper" where we drew the current organisation in its rather detail.
We also had a list of all the salaries per department, so we could detect the cost per department (and the turn-over).
Then, we did the "green meadow approach", where we sat down and created the "new" organisation as if we were to establish a new company and we could use as many people from the "old" payroll as we wanted. We had several workshops, mainly with the directors and HR.
The final result was a suggestion for a new organisation. Initially, we did not sell the implementation of that new organisation, only a suggestion for a new one.
It sounds very easy, but the main problem was this HUGE resistance of literally everyone. I was greeted with hostility whenever I was spotted somewhere in the building. But we finally got it!
I had a task force. His name was Dominic. He was working as manager in one of their warehouses and he helped me with the organisation and the warehouses.
We also had a list of all the salaries per department, so we could detect the cost per department (and the turn-over).
Then, we did the "green meadow approach", where we sat down and created the "new" organisation as if we were to establish a new company and we could use as many people from the "old" payroll as we wanted. We had several workshops, mainly with the directors and HR.
The final result was a suggestion for a new organisation. Initially, we did not sell the implementation of that new organisation, only a suggestion for a new one.
It sounds very easy, but the main problem was this HUGE resistance of literally everyone. I was greeted with hostility whenever I was spotted somewhere in the building. But we finally got it!
I had a task force. His name was Dominic. He was working as manager in one of their warehouses and he helped me with the organisation and the warehouses.
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Mazda - Car Sales
In the car sales workstream we needed to deal with selling skills of car salesmen in those dealerships around southeast England.
It was a similar programme to the delicatessen one I managed - selling skills, upselling, more-selling. We trained them, played mystery shopper, had a training film, coached them, etc...
And as usual in projects like these it was a TTT approach, where we trained the trainer (TTT) and the trainer (the local car dealership managers) trained their sales staff. The board director was part of a film where he had to "send out the message" about the project, etc.
That whole workstream was pretty successful. I was only vaguely involved as my collage Judith was responsible for that work stream.
Unfortunately, I do not have too many pictures, in fact close to none, of this project.
It was a similar programme to the delicatessen one I managed - selling skills, upselling, more-selling. We trained them, played mystery shopper, had a training film, coached them, etc...
And as usual in projects like these it was a TTT approach, where we trained the trainer (TTT) and the trainer (the local car dealership managers) trained their sales staff. The board director was part of a film where he had to "send out the message" about the project, etc.
That whole workstream was pretty successful. I was only vaguely involved as my collage Judith was responsible for that work stream.
Unfortunately, I do not have too many pictures, in fact close to none, of this project.
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Mazda - UK!
After that year with Otto Bock, I finally got a project in the UK. My first proper job there since I started my career and moved to London. We are in the year 2002 now.
I was on a project in Tunbridge Wells, with a Mazda spinn-off. The project had 3 parts: car sales, organisational realignment and warehousing. My part was the organisation and the warehouses.
The client was a difficult one. The chairman was from Japan, there was an English CEO, and several English board members. There were constant frictions between chairman and CEO. I can talk that openly as this company does no longer exist.
The chairman was rather "tough" when it came to organisation, the CEO was more "soft" but also unreliable and sometimes with outbursts of verbal violence. A tough cookie!
The board of directors was also extremely difficult to deal with, especially my warehouse director.
I was on a project in Tunbridge Wells, with a Mazda spinn-off. The project had 3 parts: car sales, organisational realignment and warehousing. My part was the organisation and the warehouses.
The client was a difficult one. The chairman was from Japan, there was an English CEO, and several English board members. There were constant frictions between chairman and CEO. I can talk that openly as this company does no longer exist.
The chairman was rather "tough" when it came to organisation, the CEO was more "soft" but also unreliable and sometimes with outbursts of verbal violence. A tough cookie!
The board of directors was also extremely difficult to deal with, especially my warehouse director.
Monday, 4 May 2009
Isle of Man
I have forgotten one project. The company was situated on the Isle of Man and produced kettle switches. It was an extremely peculiar project. The local director, a Welshman, had to sleep on a camping site as his company did not want to pay for a hotel; he also had to pay for his flights home every week or fortnight.
And what I have also learned, one ought to wave good-bye to the ferries leaving the island, otherwise it would bring back luck.
Our hotel, the poshest one in town, and an old Victorian one, was the draftiest place on earth with the worst service ever, and beds with mattrasses hanging through to the floor.
We were always scared on Friday afternoons that there was no storm, as otherwise Manx Airways would not leave the airport and we were caught on the island for the whole weekend. Scary thought.
The project as such was rather basic. It was a production project where we improved machine and labour efficiencies. I was responsible for the training and coaching.
One of the managers was a girl called Sue. She was from Liverpool. I had absolutely no clue whatever she said. I just sat there and happily smiled at her and nodded... ;-)
And what I have also learned, one ought to wave good-bye to the ferries leaving the island, otherwise it would bring back luck.
Our hotel, the poshest one in town, and an old Victorian one, was the draftiest place on earth with the worst service ever, and beds with mattrasses hanging through to the floor.
We were always scared on Friday afternoons that there was no storm, as otherwise Manx Airways would not leave the airport and we were caught on the island for the whole weekend. Scary thought.
The project as such was rather basic. It was a production project where we improved machine and labour efficiencies. I was responsible for the training and coaching.
One of the managers was a girl called Sue. She was from Liverpool. I had absolutely no clue whatever she said. I just sat there and happily smiled at her and nodded... ;-)
Friday, 1 May 2009
Otto Bock - Final Thoughts
This is the last picture which I have from the project. So, this is also the last entry about Otto Bock. That's actually me in the hotel gym. The hotel was great. We did have good team building events there.After all, and apart from those special "happenings", and even they were quite good in terms of learning experience, it was a great project. The client was satisfied, the core team was good, the location was nice, I learned a lot, and it formed me as project manager. So far it was my biggest single project, and also my most complex one. It was easy at times, sometimes very difficult, sometimes I wanted to quit my job. Overall, I loved it. And I feel privileged that I was able to be the manager of it.
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