HellermannTyton, a global cable management specialist, has broken its production record while at the same time setting new site safety standards at its Manchester manufacturing facility.
The company recently set a new standard for productivity, with overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) — a key metric in manufacturing — reaching 90% — its highest-ever level. This surpasses the previous record of 88%, set in June this year and further reinforces the factory’s position as a world-leading facility. The benchmark for ‘world-class’ OEE is generally considered to be 85%.
Scott Mayne, site director at HellermannTyton Manchester, said: “We were typically operating somewhere around 75-80% and we increased that to 88% over the last few months. In July we saw our best OEE month on record, which is a testament to the changes we have put in place and the hard work of the entire team.”
HellermannTyton provides cable management solutions for the electrical, rail, automotive, offshore and panel building sectors. Last month the Wythenshawe facility produced 112 million parts, while it has also reduced raw materials wastage and enjoyed a 40% improvement in ‘right-first-time’ quality. In addition, the facility has notched up an impressive six months with no health and safety incidents on site.
Mr Mayne continued: “Year to date we have seen a 55% reduction in accidents. This is down to our investment in people. We took a lot of time over the appointment of our quality manager, operations manager and health and safety manager as we needed people who were a good fit with the business and had relevant experience. By putting them together they have galvanised their respective teams and are measuring and driving the right things.”
Living through lockdownMike Woodbridge has joined as health and safety manager, and along with implementing a culture change on safety, he has introduced employee welfare measures.
Mr Mayne continued: “We are running wellbeing weeks as it became apparent after Covid-19 how hard people had been hit by living through lockdown, so we made it a big focus. We have also changed our perspective on health and safety so it is no longer just viewed as a management issue, it is everyone’s responsibility.
“Our mantra is to get everybody home safe. This has really helped us to reduce the accident rate. Mike’s extensive record in industry and knowledge of HSE law has also enabled us to implement significant improvements in areas like working at height.”
HellermannTyton’s achievements have also been attributed to initiatives focused on staff retention and ongoing training at its Manchester site. Mr Mayne explained: “Along with the improvements made within our management selection processes, we have invested in training and the upskilling of people across other areas of the business, and have introduced very competitive salaries for many positions to help with retention. We have been here for 90 years — world wars and countless recessions have passed us by. We are a secure employer with a track record of growth and investing in our people.”