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Reducing Backlog of Spares in a Nuclear Environment
The Problem
Cavendish customers place a demand for spares needed in their power stations and our client’s role is to quote, decide supplier and then source those spares. The complication is that sometimes drawings can be old (sometimes greater than ten years old) or unclear. There are pressures on margins, extended lead times and possible safety issues with the result of a growing backlog of orders and customer dissatisfaction. Our clients asked us to run a Rapid Improvement Event with key people at the front end of the process.
The Solution
The Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) approach utilises Lean tools and techniques to:
- Define, understand and measure the existing process or Current State
- Identify waste and process failings
- Identify the root cause of this process waste
- Develop a revised and significantly improved new process or Future State
- Document the new process in a format that employees find the most user friendly
- Implement the improvements and bring into realisation the Future State
- Monitor and review progress
The Benefits
Success factors for the RIE were set in place within four months after the Event. The introduction of a new Fast Track system was designed by the team with the following objectives:
- Increase throughput of orders by 50%, so throughput is greater than enquiries with existing team, resulting in reduced average tender time to 20 days
- Documented To-Be process with clear accountabilities and standardised approach
- Understanding of systems requirements for the new process
The new process has been successfully introduced across the two sites.