Client stories & reviews
Evidence from operations improvement work — specific constraints, conversations, and what changed on the floor.
Short notes from recent work
“We knew orders were slipping, but no one could say which stage was the choke point. After the site walk and handover map, the packing bay changes alone cut our late dispatches.”
“The workshop felt slow at first because we had to write down habits people thought were obvious. That discomfort was useful — we finally stopped reinventing the same schedule every Monday.”
“Owen stayed for the Thursday peak when vans queue at the dock. A few of his suggestions were too tidy for our building, and we said so — the ones we kept were the checklists and the cut-off time sales now respects.”
“I wanted a magic capacity number. What I got was a blunt conversation about changeovers we had been pretending were free. Slightly bruising, entirely fair.”
Extended story: Regional distributor, Midlands
The constraint
A family-owned distributor with 70 staff was missing promised delivery days on roughly one in five lines during promotional weeks. Overtime on Thursdays had become normal. The directors assumed the warehouse needed more people.
What we did
During the Operations Diagnostic we followed twelve live orders from the sales desk to the van. The delay was not picking speed — it was incomplete kits released to packing because purchasing and sales used different product codes for the same accessory.
What changed
A single code list, a “do not release incomplete” rule at 14:00, and a short morning huddle between purchasing and packing. Headcount stayed the same. Late lines fell sharply over the next two promotional cycles. The MD still wants a second bay long-term; the diagnostic simply stopped them hiring for the wrong problem.
Extended story: Light manufacturer, Scotland
The constraint
A fabrication shop of 40 people rewrote its weekly schedule every Monday morning. Welders waited on drawings; paint waited on weld; customers heard three different dates.
What we did
Handover & Process Mapping workshops put estimators, weld leads, and the office manager in one room with a single job folder. They agreed what “released to shop” must contain before metal is cut.
What changed
The schedule still flexes — fabrication is rarely serene — but releases now freeze overnight, and Monday mornings start with exceptions only. James notes they still argue about rush jobs; they argue with a shared list instead of three diaries.