Process improvement for a stone-cutting and sculpting atelier.
New processes speed up production and boost exports.
Goals
- Boost operating efficiencies.
- Establish export channels.
- Develop a sales and marketing plan.
Obstacles
Production in this fine arts sculpting and stone-cutting atelier was done manually by skilled craftsmen; a fact that slowed productivity and prolonged lead times by quite a lot.
Another challenge was represented by the owner’s inability to find new lucrative export markets in the Middle East and Africa.
Analysis
This father-to-son business was highly reputed for its craftsmanship and sculptured masterpieces. The owner used expensive and skilled craftsmen to produce not only works of art, but many generic items that could be replaced by computerized machinery.
Commercialization was also hampered by the owner’s sole reliance on word of mouth and personal connections to build up the company’s sales pipeline. He was very hands-on and an extreme micro-manager.
Actions
- Consulted with the owner to identify computer equipment that can be used to produce generic accessories and items that were of secondary importance.
- Supervised the import of new equipment and machinery from Italy and Germany.
- Set up a small sales department to generate sales leads from architects, interior designers, and to follow up on customer deliveries.
- Documented production processes to ensure maximum productivity.
- Introduced project management tools to schedule orders, monitor costs and work progress per project.
- Encouraged the owner to visit specialized exhibitions in Dubai and a few more in Africa.
- Cooperated with management to improve the factory layout and workflow to speed up the movements of materials between the shop-floor and warehouse.
Results
- Reduced lead times by 250%.
- Reduced direct costs and overheads by an average 41%.
- Developed a feasibility study that quantified the benefits of using laser stone-cutting machinery.
- Improved staff happiness and motivation.
- Reduced the number of incidents and injuries by more than half.
- Decreased the the number of tasks needed to conduct 1 activity, and the time to move things around by 20%.
- Prepared a business case that enabled the company to get a bank loan of USD 255,000.
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