Process Improvement Services

Whitewater are approved by Invest NI to provide a one stop shop for Process Improvement Services. To be able to do this we have partnered with Lean Business Systems who complement our strategic and people services with their expertise in aligning process and measures to organisations strategy.

Our services are focused on enabling companies to improve profits through sustainable improved internal and external business processes across their value chain (supplier-customer) whilst ensuring that the process changes help the company to achieve their strategic objectives. Our solutions will give you operational competitive advantage in one or more of the following:

Cost , Quality, Speed, Flexibility, Reliability and Value for Money.

Services Include

1    Consultancy Services

• Providing business and process improvement advice;

• Developing process improvement expertise, skills, processes and systems in your company;

• Monitoring and ensuring that the client company is on track in terms of achieving its objectives and is satisfied with the service provided.

2    Service Areas

• Workplace organisation and layout;

• Waste elimination;

• Elimination of process defects;

• Overall Equipment Effectiveness and planned preventative maintenance;

• Quality management;

• Management of materials flow and supplier relationships.

Our approach to working with companies is based on a systems view of organisations. It is strongly influenced by Senge’s work on sustaining change and the need to recognise that working on isolated parts of the system may never solve core problems. Very simply, that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and that any intervention should consider cause – effect relationships. As our adaptive organisation model illustrates (see below) it is important to achieve an appropriate balance and capability in any organisation on all three aspect of people, process and business direction in order to create a company that is able to respond and adapt and ultimately deliver what is of value to the customer.

We will work with our clients to maximise the benefit the client receives when they sign up for consultancy with us. We are expert in and have a wide range of experience in the application of Lean techniques in both Manufacturing & Service Organizations. Our programmes begin with an assessment or ‘diagnostic’ phase. Our in-depth knowledge and experience in the application of Lean techniques allows us to quickly identify and validate improvement opportunities. The resulting future vision of a value stream is often unrecognizable when compared to the current reality. However our real value-add is our ability to provide practical hands-on help to our clients to make that vision a reality.

The Methodology used is very much hands-on “Learn by doing” approach. In the early stages of a programme we will provide guidance and direction to the client organisation during the necessary preparatory period. This is essential prior to the programme beginning. It will be followed by the announcement and initiation of the project by the client where the team members will be available to support and in some instances become members of the implementation team as the project is kicked off. This is typically the stage where intense training on Lean principles is provided to the key staff members.

Once the programme is up, running and gathered its own momentum, the role of the team will typically transition to a supportive mentoring role for key staff members in the client’s organisation. During this phase, Whitewater team members will be available to provide day-to-day support for the programme and can be involved part time or full time on the client’s site. In order to ensure the programme is self sustained in the longer term, it is recommended that the key staff members previously trained on Lean principles begin to take ownership of key aspects of the programme. This is an ideal opportunity to put into practice what has been learned at the early stage of the programme under the guidance of the Whitewaer expert(s).

During the latter stages of the programme, our team will provide support and direction to these key members of the client organisation. This is critical to keeping the programme on track and ensures the organisation has taken on board the necessary skills to resolving the problems identified. It also ensures the client organisation moves forward with a Continuous Improvement culture embedded in the company for future improvements.