Education boost for Kostal UK
STAFF at automotive switch manufacturer Kostal UK have made dramatic efficiency improvements including a 25% decrease in scrap and a 75% reduction in stock losses, following support from the Manufacturing Masters programme.
Rotherham-based Kostal is a subsidiary of a German family owned business that designs, manufactures and assembles plastic moulded electrical switches for the automotive industry.
Its major customers include Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin, Volvo, VW and Porsche.
More than 20 junior management employees have now undertaken the City & Guilds Senior Award in Lean Manufacturing through the Manufacturing Masters programme, which requires them to undertake work-based projects to improve the efficiency of their own work areas, demonstrating the lean tools and techniques they have learned.
The company has been severely hit by the economic downturn with sales declining by more than 50% since this time last year forcing Kostal to cut staff numbers from 380 staff down to 300 earlier this year.
The remaining team is now stepping up its drive to implement ‘lean’ thinking and reduce waste while production remains slow putting them in a stronger position for when the industry recovers.
Barry Johnson, Kostal’s HR director, said: “We have all seen how close redundancy can be and survival instinct has kicked in – we recognise what needs to be done and the Masters programme has given our people the confidence to see it through.
“Obviously cost is a big issue for us at the moment, but you have to map out your priorities and commit to spend where the most value can be added in the longer term. This has definitely been a worthwhile investment for us.”
Manufacturing Masters, which is supported by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, is a business improvement programme that provides high level learning opportunities for manufacturing employees, giving them the capability to drive change and improvement within their organisation.
The qualifications within the programme have been developed jointly by industry specialists from The Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) together with experts at the Leeds University Business School.
