Growing sales call for increased production – a positive challenge
McBride’s Danish operations have secured orders requiring production adjustments and capacity increases, calling for rapid and efficient adaptation.
McBride faced a positive challenge: an increase in orders that required an expansion of production. And not only an increase in production capacity, but also the handling of specialised raw materials requiring specific treatment and storage.
Read how McBride and kaastrup|andersen worked together to increase production.
Challenge
McBride’s success on the sales front brought additional challenges. An expanded order from one of its existing customers required a scale-up and reconfiguration of production due to the use of specialised raw materials in the new order. McBride already had experience in handling and manufacturing with these raw materials, but that experience dated back around ten years, and since then, requirements for quality assurance and handling guidelines had become significantly more stringent.
McBride possessed most of the in-house expertise needed to adapt and increase production. However, the sheer number of tasks involved made it difficult to maintain a clear overview.
The core project consisted of three overarching workstreams:
- Upgrading the production equipment, including procurement, installation and all related infrastructure such as doors, cranes and surrounding facilities
- Establishing procedures, including safety procedures for handling corrosive raw materials and ensuring compliance with new regulatory requirements
- Detailed planning and design of test production, covering both the management of test runs and quality assurance of processes and finished products
Solution
The first step was to gather the right information base in order to detail the tasks involved in establishing the new production setup. Consultants from kaastrup|andersen began by collecting the many to-do lists that employees had created to keep track of their individual, local tasks within the project. At the same time, the existing production setup was thoroughly reviewed, and key stakeholders at McBride were involved to contribute their knowledge and experience.
All the collected information formed the basis of an overarching project plan. It was important that the project plan was (technically) accessible and easy to understand, which is why it was created in a simple, user-friendly online tool. This ensured that everyone involved had easy access to the plan and that the solution was not complex or dependent on project management expertise. The accessible project plan served as a strong foundation for day-to-day task follow-up, overall project oversight and progress.
It quickly became clear that the McBride project participants were able to operate independently. With a clear plan, well-defined tasks and a transparent allocation of responsibilities, the project team took ownership of the execution, allowing kaastrup|andersen’s consultants to step back after six weeks of intensive involvement.
Result
McBride has successfully established the new production setup and thereby completed the project – within the agreed financial and time constraints. Production equipment, procedures and test production are all in place, and the first ‘live’ deliveries are now being produced.
For McBride’s management, it is clear that the initial scoping, overview and planning were critical in enabling McBride’s employees to fully leverage their own professional expertise to bring the project to completion. Once the framework was in place, the project team was able to execute all deliverables independently.
From the sidelines, kaastrup|andersen’s consultants observed the results with satisfaction, as the plan to make McBride’s project team self-sufficient succeeded beyond expectations and ahead of schedule. The consultants were engaged in the project for six weeks, after which the final handover to McBride took place.
