The National Report of the United Kingdom

Part III: Case studies on workplace learning

(Draft version 30.11.2006)

Case descriptions related to Workplace Learning Partnerships in automotive supply chains in England

Alan Brown, IER, University of Warwick

Context for development of case studies/case stories

The purpose of the case studies is to evaluate learning processes in collaborative forms of vocational education and training in regional networks and to evaluate the effectiveness of different approaches, including comments upon particular tools, designed to improve transfer between learning and performance contexts. The previous UK Workplace Learning Partnership (WLP) project paper ‘Workplace Learning Partnerships in automotive supply chains in England’ (January 2005) outlined an innovative approach to the implementation of WLPs? through formation of regional supply chain networks. These partnerships involved small and medium size enterprises (SMEs?), often linked to a larger company, through inter-company learning networks that were supported by specialist tutors and had a strong focus on both immediate performance improvements and personal educational development. The underlying pedagogical idea was that there is considerable value in attempting to link processes of knowledge creation with tackling the core problems of manufacturing practice as a means of engaging learners that have traditionally been difficult for educational institutions to reach. The model of learning used with its emphasis upon networking, knowledge creation, linking an initial focus upon performance with a progressive broadening of ideas about learning and development was particularly well suited to its context: supporting learning and development in advanced supply chains. This approach has now been adopted and adapted by a range of education and training providers, but has been particularly popular by those seeking to support regional networks.

The following ‘case description’ will give details of the collaborative approach and the range of tools used in the learning partnerships, while the subsequent ‘case stories’ will map out the experiences, benefits and problems associated with using this approach at the level of the company, network and individuals.

Section 1: Basic characteristics

The Northwest Automotive Alliance (NAA) is one example of an industry-led cluster organisation, supported by the Northwest Development Agency, to provide a focal point for the region's automotive sector. The Northwest is the UK's second most important automotive region and employs over 43,000 people with a sector value of £9billion. 200,000 cars and 13,000 trucks were produced in the region in 2003. The Alliance offers some of its own programmes but also collaborates with national organisations such as the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) Industry Forum and the Automotive Academy.

All three organisations are involved in the design, brokerage or delivery of collaborative training scheme designed to improve manufacturing processes and to increase competitiveness of companies throughout the automotive supply chain. So, for example, the SMMT Industry Forum provision typically involves programmes that are practical, shop-floor based, process-improvement activities implemented with a 'hands on' approach delivered by a team of Industry Forum Engineers in ways that include tutor-led workshops and engaging in team-based process improvement activities. The work with a company's employees at a number of levels is expected to bring about tangible benefits in terms of improvements in relation to quality, cost and delivery and subsequently in terms of sales and profitability. The provision is part of a co-ordinated supplier development programme that has regional and national dimensions. To give an indication of the scale of provision the Supplier Development Group of the NAA that is seeking to facilitate Northwest automotive companies in accessing best practice manufacturing support aims to involve 50 companies in networks of 4 to 8 companies and a total number of participants of perhaps 80, with a mix of employees from semi-skilled operators through to senior managers.

The approach adopted is based upon the principles of Lean Manufacturing and the programmes take a practical view of the requisite tools and techniques. Participants are introduced to the ideas but also have the opportunity to experience them in context thus gaining knowledge of the improvements that can be expected through the application of the different tools and techniques.

Section 2: Content

1. Learning context

The learning opportunities are located both in practice-oriented workshops and then applied in the context of productive work processes or in rather artificial settings such as training workshops. One key aspect of the work-learning partnership came from the use of Master Engineers who would both run workshops and then lead teams to look at some key problems of manufacturing practice in the workplace itself. This ensured attention was given to problems and dilemmas that are central to manufacturing practice. These problems and dilemmas have significance both for individual and organisational performance. The problems are likely to contain combinations of practical concerns, organisational issues and socio-cultural problems. This approach to process improvement was underpinned by delivery of a range of programmes on Supply Chains; Team Leader Training; and Value Stream Mapping.

Learning objectives The learning objectives are taken from established programmes of training, development and continuous improvement that were explicitly modelled on the ‘best practice’ followed by Japanese companies. The programmes started over a decade ago and are effectively driven by employers, although both government and individuals with a training background have had some influence in the design of programmes. The learning achievements seem to have greatest relevance and recognition within the context of the individual companies, resulting in individuals taking on new duties or a wider range of activities. The opportunities individuals have for aligning their learning achievements with the educational system in general (in the form of credits or units) are not always taken up, although arrangements for credit accumulation and transfer and accreditation of prior learning mean that achievements can be formally recognised if required (the total learning time, however, often does not exceed say fifteen days).

Learning outcomes The focus of the Master Engineers and the group of learners upon making real improvements in manufacturing practice and process at one level could fit with ideas about the collaborative creation of new knowledge. The approach to learning through networking could be seen as an example of an active model of learning whereby learners are engaged in the creation of 'new contextualised' knowledge, not recipients of a largely passive process of knowledge transmission. In the networks there was value in learning as a member of a group, including from others with a variety of backgrounds.

2. Application of some of the tools

Value Stream Mapping One of the courses available in a suite of improvement programmes would typically be a two day course on value stream mapping. The structured application of Lean Principles through Value Stream Mapping can help put the opportunities for improvement into context and provide a clear overview of the possible problems and opportunities. The Value Stream Mapping course would typically show participants how to develop a Current State Map and identify key issues, involve them in developing an Ideal State as a means of challenging fixed ideas about how things are currently done and then support the participants in developing a first Future State Map. The next stage, however, is crucial for learning and development as it involves actually implementing the first steps of the Future State Map in the weeks following the course. The course utilises knowledge from this and other real applications to examine the approach needed to drive and sustain process improvement.

Section 3: Organisation

The structure of the work learning partnership is a voluntary network with individual companies choosing to subscribe to particular learning workshops and activities, although smaller companies may be encouraged to participate by a larger company in the same supply chain. The networks, workshops and other activities are also facilitated by regional and/or sectoral organisations that themselves receive support from regional and/or central government. Hence there are a range of learning facilitators or brokers involved in the set-up, support and delivery of learning programmes and activities as part of the operation of the overall network. What this means is that the organisation of particular learning programmes can involve a wide range of stake-holders, including those companies supplying the learners. The whole structure is co-operative, and the participating firms have a role in both the co-ordination of activities and in the development of particular learning programmes, although particular combinations of activities can be chosen from or based around a suite of workshops concerned with issues like Supply Chains; Team Leader Training; and Value Stream Mapping. The organisational and management structure of the networks appear well adapted to respond to the learning needs of companies and individuals – they operate as intermediary organisations supporting the learning of individuals, companies and the sector as a whole, coupled with also having an explicit regional development role as part of explicit programmes of manufacturing improvement. How this approach may play out in a single company is illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Manufacturing Improvement Programme as experienced by a single company

Outcomes

Case stories: experiences of a large supplier and the operations of a network

The above ‘case description’ gave details of the collaborative approach and the range of tools used in work learning partnerships in the automotive industry, while the following ‘case stories’ map out the experiences of some of those involved in such networks. The following ‘case stories’ trace the experiences of one large company, one network of six companies and the individual experiences of four participants in workplace learning partnerships in order to give some indications of how participants in the reflected upon what had been gained from using this collaborative approach.

Section 4: Large supplier

The first case story involves a UK tier one automotive major components supplier. It was a traditional company whose organisational structure was being completely reshaped (involving radical change in the organisation of work) and the company used work-learning partnerships to refocus upon improvements in quality, cost and delivery

The company used to be the major employer in its region, had paternalistic employment policies and had a reputation for providing high quality apprenticeship training. It suffered a massive decline in numbers employed, employing less than 2,000, down from around 10,000 twenty five years ago. The company has been taken over and changed to multi-functional team-working, and opened up progression routes to team leader for semi-skilled workers. These changes resulted in greater training and increased responsibilities for semi-skilled workers, while skilled workers have less influence. The greatest change, however, has been the downgrading of the traditional supervisory role. Team Leaders are more directly involved in the work of teams, while a few Team Coaches have been given responsibility for providing support to the team leaders. The company underwent a process of considerable structural reorganisation lasting about five years. That involved the introduction of a system of team-working, and the creation of team leaders reporting to team coaches. At the same time, because of the rapidly changing technological requirements and skill needs within the industry, there has been a shift towards multi-skilling. Assessment Centres have been established in order to identify the skills and qualities of the existing workforce, together with any skill deficiencies of individual workers or skill gaps in the competencies of the workforce as a whole. Over and above technical skills, there has been an increasing focus upon worker attitudes. The appropriate attitude is now considered to be an essential requirement for all types of work. This approach has been introduced in an attempt to generate greater confidence about the company’s ability to ensure quality. The drive to enhance quality has resulted in the development of training courses designed to reduce defect levels, by teaching operators why things work and why certain things need to be done. Allied to this has been a series of upskilling programmes for operatives on Total Product Maintenance, which have been based on the concept that the operative ‘owns’ the machine and is responsible for minor repairs and keeping it in optimal condition. Team Leaders play a key role in the emphasis upon quality and in identifying any training requirements that are necessary. Involvement with external providers in the work-learning partnership resulted in the delivery of specialist programmes concerned with process improvement, such as value stream mapping, and the innovative aspect of these programmes have been they have involved employees at a number of levels, so that teams would progressively have a much stronger collective skills base. The team-based organisational (TBO) structure was introduced, with responsibilities for line management being vested in Team Coaches, each of whom was responsible for a number of teams, comprising 8 to 15 employees, with a Team Leader. The Team Coaches, who broadly occupy the role formerly taken by Production Managers, are each accountable to one of four Manufacturing Coaches, who report to the Managing Director. A typical Team Coach would have about 100 employees within her or his remit. The Manufacturing Coach has four team Coaches, and so is responsible for 500-600 people. The company was taking this reorganisation a stage further with the development of a Supply Organisation structure, where the company operates as a series of Business Centres, with, for example, a Production Manager for each major product range. There are over 100 teams and the underlying rationale for the team-working system is that, once a team identifies the route to solve a problem, they will follow it through. The Team Leader normally has no more than 10 people to look after, and is part of the team. They are responsible for production, quality, cost, safety and efficiency within their cost centre, and report to the Team Coach. A Team Leader has their own operational tasks, but he/she also has to sort out the labour sheets and budget sheets. Their role is to empower, and develop an interpersonal relationship with, the team, primarily through the sorting out of the work and supporting the development of their team members. Assessment Centres are used to assess (mainly internal) applicants’ competence to fulfil the Team Coach role. All assessment, appraisal and training programmes are currently being re-vamped. It was felt that Team Coaches and Team Leaders should receive more training in management and interpersonal skills, possibly as part of their initial training. The key characteristic required of a Team Coach, as well as technical knowledge, was perceived to be the ability to resolve the issues of those for whom they were responsible, possibly through mentoring. This places a responsibility on the Team Coach to get to know their own staff, and gain their respect, by knowing that they are being asked to do ‘sensible’ things. As a consequence, the major concern of Team Coaches was people-management. The above description shows that the company was taking very seriously the idea that it had to refocus its entire manufacturing strategy and in this context it readily participated in a full range of manufacturing improvement activities offered through the type of work-learning outlined above. This commitment to learning to facilitate continuous improvement can be seen in figure 2.

Figure 2 – Continuous Improvement in the Automotive Sector

Section 5: operation of networks

The second case story involves the provision of more detail about the operation of this type of manufacturing process improvement networks. The previous UK WLP paper highlighted how a group of SMEs? operating in the supply chain of a tier one automotive major components supplier. SMEs? were much readier to take part in an initiative that had the explicit approbation of one of their major customers. The participation of major manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers in networks was therefore crucial in securing the commitment of SMEs? to engage with learning and development activities. Overall, the model of learning used with its emphasis upon networking, knowledge creation, linking an initial focus upon performance with a progressive broadening of ideas about learning and development was particularly well suited to its context: supporting learning and development in advanced supply systems.

The regional networks outlined above also make use of a national partnership formed as part of a DTI funded initiative called The Automotive College. This is a partnership between further education, higher education, industry and the government. The college was set up to assist companies in the automotive sector achieve and sustain their competitiveness through programmes of learning which are tailored to meet the requirements of the company and which are very much applications led. Further information can be found at the Automotive College web site www.automotivecollege.co.uk.

One example of the activities of a Regional Network is given below. The network focused on the implementation of a manufacturing improvement programme. It was recognised that for the network to be effective it needed to have the support from senior managers within the participating companies. This was achieved by engaging the senior managers in an Industry Forum Real Time Workshop which, over a period of four days, gave the managers hands on experience of the potential benefits that could be obtained by engaging in a programme of manufacturing improvement. The output from this workshop was an action plan as to how each company would implement the tools and techniques for manufacturing improvement within their own company. As part of this process the managers identified individuals within their company who would participate in a series of half day workshops which focused on the tools and techniques for manufacturing improvement. These individuals subsequently attended a series of 9 half day workshops and were expected to take the learning back into their workplace and implement the improvements as part of the company action plan, with support from staff from the industry-led cluster organisation.

A total of 6 companies were involved in the Network: • a first tier supplier of body components • a first tier supplier of instrumentation components, body components, press and mould tools • an SME undertaking CNC machining • a first tier (SME) supplier of electrical harnesses • a first tier supplier of friction transmission plates and pressings • a general engineering SME.

A total of 18 employees from these companies attended at least one of the manufacturing improvement workshops with a further 5 managers attending the four day Real Time Workshop. Each of the companies subsequently continued with the implementation of manufacturing improvements. Specific support materials were also developed to facilitate implementation, including the development of case studies of the effective implementation of manufacturing process improvement. The companies on the programme have started to implement improvements in the workplace as a result of the learning, as indicated in the table below:

Company Improvement Activities Cables Started on the road to implementing 5C programme in inspection and assembly areas. The company representatives wish to take small improvement steps and attend more workshops before tackling any large projects. CNC Machining Started implementing 5C programme on shop floor and office. Plastics Improvement team are implementing 5C programme on load space locker assembly area improving quality and ergonomics. Capacity increased due to improvements but difficult to measure due to downstream process problems. Transmission Implementing 5C improvement programme on Minster press and started implementing standard operations. Incorporated Minster press into production line to achieve one-piece flow. Reduced downtime by 5 hours per day. Instruments Developed improvement team that meet weekly and investigate ways of applying tools and techniques learnt in the continuous improvement workshops. Current focus is on reducing rework and recycling waste on injection mould area. Improvements are being made to process measurement systems.

The four day Real Time Workshop typically enables participants to learn more about process improvement tools and techniques, such as those promoted by the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) Industry Forum, comprising: • Data Analysis • Workplace Organisation (5 C Programme) • Waste Elimination (7 Wastes) • Standardised Work Practices • Visual Management • One Piece Flow.

Section 6: Evaluation of the effectiveness of implementation of what had been learned in the networks

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the learning in the networks can be gauged from individual responses to what had been learned through network activities. This final set of four individual ‘case stories’ on the value of this collaborative approach to workplace learning. This first ‘case’ is more fully developed but all bear testimony to the challenges involved in seeking to implement the approaches to process improvement that they had learned:

Production Manager, in a medium size press engineering company with 120 employees, with responsibility for 4 production cells. The company has 11 cells in total and produces tubular steel, with 95% of its work going into producing tubular steel components for automobile industry suppliers. He is positive about the training undertaken, including the value of spending three days of the initial workshop at the automobile industry supplier's company leading the network. This 'gave an understanding of the applications of our products, improved communications with a major customer and an understanding of their quality requirements'. Other benefits included being forced to take time out of the company and stand aside from immediate concerns in the company, as well as finding out that other companies in the supply chain and their customers faced similar issues in seeking to improve organisational performance.

The consequences of participation in the workshop activities and the implementation of the approaches learned from the training included: • Chance to make a difference • Ability to let operators to have a say in how to implement the change process itself • The opportunity to learn from mistakes through undertaking real action • Activities had a real purpose and this led to improved team working.

The activities led to some improvements when it came to looking at re-layout of machines, considering the seven measures to reduce waste, redesigning cramped working areas and so on. On the other hand, there were a number of difficulties with implementation of some process improvements: • There were some problems with selection of improvement activities. This was partly because of the cell structures, as the cells worked with quite a wide product mix for a number of customers, the volumes were not there. This meant the time taken for initial analysis and to record and analyse data would be very high in relation to the possible savings made for a number of potential activities. • No attention in the workshop was paid to the training aspect of passing on lessons to others. IF does not address issues around 'how to pass knowledge on to others'. It was simply assumed that once points had been made in the teach points that they would be understood and acted upon. In practice, it was clear that operators may have listened to the teach points but not necessarily fully understood, especially where the full implementation was to occur some time later. • The ability to take operators away from production was constrained. • The timescale for implementation was also affected by changing priorities, for example, the production manager had not been able to spend as much time as originally intended on this, due to his heavy involvement in the need to make structural changes following the amalgamation of two companies.

Some machines and activities though were amenable to systematic analysis and it was intended that roll-outs for improvements in productivity on a piercing rig and a boring machine would take place in the next six months, together with some quality problem-solving and screening of products. Longer term the intention was to undertake new business using manning freed up from improvement activities. They are using the Toolkit approach immediately on one new project, and Plan, Do, Check, Act can be a useful frame. However, the Toolkit approach is less well suited to situations where there is greater variability in manufacturing practice than some other techniques, such as Six Sigma, which has a more experimental orientation.

Personal development: the IF approach is only one of a number of approaches to performance improvement that the production manager has studied. He has previously studied the Six Sigma approach, and he is currently interested in other work looksing at Lean techniques in greater depth. He is also looking at ways to improve environmental impact. The one major advantage of the IF approach was that it involved a lot more 'hands-on activities directly related to making changes in the workplace'.

The whole IF approach has to be seen in a wider context of the strategic direction of the company as a whole. At the moment they have a lot of work, including new types of work, because last year their major competitor went bankrupt. They recognise that they need to build up their capacity to produce more complex, higher value added products, for example sub-frames, yet currently they make more profit on simple precision activities. In the long-term, however, they may lose the latter work to countries with much lower labour costs. The new products require more complex work, including a lot more set-up work, but are subject to intense price pressure from large customers. One response has been to diversify the number of customers with which they deal, including expanding their work into the US and Poland.

The relationship with the lead company in the network was problematic. On the one hand, the lead company was pleased that two or three of their suppliers were making a success of implementing improvement activities. On the other hand, they were 'aggressive' in then cutting costs on the basis of feedback from their engineers. A more productive relationship would be for the design engineers to work more closely with suppliers, rather than manufacturing engineers who were primarily interested in manufacturing changes. Far greater efficiencies could be achieved by making design changes, particularly in relation to material usage, that would have consequent effects on, for example, heat treatment costs.

Production Manager of medium size press engineering company with 65 employees, organised around 9 production cells of 4-6 people setting and operating the presses. • Using data to tackle issues: the training had led to a more systematic approach to solving problems. Previously management had tried to sort out problems without the necessary data on performance etc. Also they did not check out how well the 'solution' worked - there was a tendency just to plan and do, without the checking stage. Now they collect detailed data on performance of presses and other shop-floor activities. The breakdown of time spent on the presses enables management to identify the 'real problems', rather than acting on their perceptions of the problems. For example, one of the seven measures they now use is of overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and on one of the presses they thought they had problems with quality, but the data showed the problems related to productivity and availability rather than quality issues per se. • OEE was a key issue in that this led to improved teamwork and motivation as the practical work of the improvement team was seen to lead to real improvements in performance. • An attempt to achieve sustainability: the 5C's approach was being attempted in two cells in addition to the one directly involved in the first training workshop. [Note there are nine cells in total.]? Monthly improvement meetings of the cells were held focusing on 5C's activities: reviewing progress, outstanding problems, follow-up sheets and whether there were any outstanding 'red tags'. The check sheets provided information on 4 of the '7 wastes' (some such as line balancing were not appropriate to the company's operations). The meetings set deadlines for completion of activities. The meetings acted to ensure that the team was not always focused upon the requirements of immediate production. Eventually the monthly meetings would be run by the cell leaders, without direct support of the production manager. The plan over the next 18 months to two years was to introduce a good 5C's structure throughout the company and then use this as a basis of further improvements in areas like set-up reductions. • Demonstrable improvements in Quality, Cost and Delivery (and improved profitabilty) over the eight months since the changes were implemented. The operators now used pre set-up checklists and set-up reduction exercises had reduced the set-up time on one machine by 51% and its availability had increased from 61 to 72%. One press had problems with tooling - those tools going in and out of the machine - the data was used to identify the problem tools and this is the next issue to be tackled. • Senior management commitment: one senior manager attended the training and after completion of the initial three day workshop the team made presentations to the senior management team. Another way in order to ensure senior management ownership and understanding of the process was to put the director who had attended the workshop in charge of supervising the collection of OEE data for one cell. He then understood how poor the OEE was and that something had to be done. He then became centrally involved in implementing changes in that cell. An additional sign of their commitment to the process was that they employed another person explicitly to free up sufficient time of the production manager to follow through on the improvement programme. Initially the production manager's time had become increasingly stretched. Subsequently the company was be involved in two further training workshops led by Industry Forum (IF) Master Engineers.

The production manager hoped that it would be possible to continue with half-yearly meetings of change agents from other companies in the network, especially as people often had complementary expertise. There were some problems initially with the training workshop process, largely because the lead company had not devoted sufficient time to preparation for the event. [It may be significant that that factory had subsequently been closed.]?

The company operate just in time production systems, and this makes devoting time for continuous improvement quite difficult, because cells cannot be closed down without prior planning. That is, stock has to be put into the system in order to release people for workshops and improvement meetings. Supplying the automotive supplier around whom the network was based only involved one of the company's nine cells, with their biggest customers being involved in the production of keys, locks, safes and other security systems.

Quality engineer in a medium size automotive parts supplier in the Midlands, with 85 employees, 50 of whom work on production as operators. The company produces parts, such as tubes used in the manufacture of steering systems, for larger component suppliers. He is very positive about the change agent training undertaken. He went to the initial workshop with an open mind, but once into the programme he found it 'very interesting. Before the second week of the workshop I had already set up one area (the welding machine shop) and through the application of the tools and techniques we had improved the production to 110 parts per hour from the original 60 parts per hour. Tasks were carried out in a systematic way, the not right first time rate improved and the cleaning time for the new shroud jigs was shortened from 15 minutes to 3 minutes.' After the second workshop 5Cs and the 7 wastes were applied and the SMMT engineers and lead company supply chain people focused upon the performance of a second welding machine. 'The overall equipment effectiveness improved from 65 to 82%, and it has averaged between 79 and 82% since then.'

The initial benefits were clear, and since then 'I have pushed on and on with the project base. Seven different sections are involved now and I always worked with teams that were keen: numbers have increased from the original 3 to about 20 now.' The intention was always to work in areas where it was 'safe to try to bring about change and other people are now involved in the process of bringing about change'. Other benefits included housekeeping improvements and the red tags proved useful. The factory is a happier place now and 'one operator remarked that it is better now than it has ever been'. The financial benefits were also apparent: 'on one part we were making a 1.5p loss on each part, but since the improvements we have given the customer a 1.5p price cut and now make 2p profit on each part'.

He has cascaded the IF approach whereby he has passed on all his knowledge to the Head of Production. This has been successful and now he just works on the OEE. He has used all the techniques and if he did move on to another job he would apply these regarding a new set of activities. He considers himself to be a 'better teacher than student' when it comes to passing on information, including in some cases to customers. Their approach was to work with small groups of four people, as the traditional approach of working with groups on production lines with relatively long runs was not appropriate here. One of the striking things is just how quickly you can improve an area: applying the 5Cs in 30 minutes. You can do it and then look for further improvements over time. 'The 5Cs have proved the most useful technique in our context'.

The main difficulties encountered, and the attempts to overcome these, were: • Measuring the productivity of assembly areas, so used people productivity • Only three people were not interested in the approach at all, so decided to l;eave them till last • The key issue is whether it will be possible to protect the time for teams to meet for half an hour each week. Even though teams have found it useful coming together for these meetings and people have learned from each other. Indeed recent success, in which the company has gone from strength to strength, has meant that they now have so much work to do that this time would be squeezed.

Overall, the project has been very successful and 'a quarter of factory personnel are effectively working as change agents'. They have 'won orders for 38 new components in the last three months. The company looks much more impressive - you can see the difference over the last six months. I am sure this was a factor in the decisions to place new orders. For example, with Dura we had had no new component orders for five years, and now we have had six in the last three months. Management can see the 'very clear results and give full support for the programme. They also value and have given support to education and training, including certificated learning and a variety of short training programmes.

Supplier development engineer at an automotive component suppliers, the lead company in the network: His job is to help suppliers to improve their performance so that they can drive down their costs, which in turn will enable the lead supplier to meet the aggressive cost downs of the vehicle manufacturers. Eight suppliers have been involved in the programme.

The main benefits of the 'change agent' training included: • Improvements in the headline results of all eight companies: for example, improved not right first time; improved productivity; reduced cycle times etc. Indeed 'all bar one company have done a cracking job. • Improved set-up reductions (by, for example, 40%) - this was particularly important where just one setter was available, because this freed up 8 machine hours per week. This was in a context where it hard to recruit skilled labour. • Group problem-solving was effective in tackling problems such as machines 'sticking'. • Group work was also valuable in thinking through improvements when laying down a new line or relaying a cell. • Increasing sense of ownership of the change process by five or six of the companies. This was an aim from the outset, so that, for example, this year staff from the supplier companies made their own presentations of the results of their initial analyses rather than relying on the IF engineer as they mostly did last year.

The main difficulties were: • Deciding what type of activities to undertake. This was resolved using 'Pareto analysis to decide where the biggest 'hits' could be made' • At times not being able to work on machines in one of the factories of the lead supplier. This was related to issues around the transfer of work to a nearby factory because the existing plant was being closed. • Problems arising because some associated members did not understand the fundamental purpose - that this was intended as a helping process. There was some suspicion of the motives of the lead supplier, although formalising links through partnership grading and supplier assessment helped when their suppliers realised the benefits to them if they achieved a high rating (greater process integration, less inspection, value in attracting other work and so on). Some suppliers were also quicker than others to see that the savings they made in producing parts for us could be applied to what they produced for other customers. One or two suppliers though were just not interested in a closer relationship.

Commitments to continuous improvement (in the short term) were difficult to see because of the disruption caused by rationalisation of production onto a single site. On the other hand, global industry trends make a commitment to continuous improvement longer term a necessity. Manufacturers and suppliers cost downs are relentless and this is reshaping relationships. The company itself, however, is also actively looking for new suppliers. Indeed with the closure of the local plant 'my new job will be a production buyer. This will involve going to India, China and so on looking for new suppliers. Already the best supplier in their supplier base is a Toyota-accredited supplier from India, who still manages to charge 30% less than current competitors. The company will also work with selected national suppliers on joint CI programmes with a view to sharing the benefits 'through more of a partnership with the savings being split 50-50 between the companies'.

Conclusions:

The case stories have demonstrated that the outcomes of the learning processes could be viewed under different aspects such as learning at the individual, group and company levels. The evaluation of individual learning showed that the extent to which learning opportunities were realised and learning objectives achieved depended very significantly on the extent to which there was senior management support for and willingness to release the resources necessary to sustain a programme of process improvement both in the short term and over a longer period. What is clear is that where such support was forthcoming there were clear improvements in group performance and evidence of organisational learning in that new approaches to process improvement were adopted.

At an individual level it was also clear that for those most heavily involved the learning processes resulted in significant personal development, whereby career prospects and opportunities in the labour market were improved and further learning was encouraged and in some cases actually undertaken. The specific tools and approaches used in these workplace learning partnerships were widely applicable, but the effectiveness of their use in practice depends almost wholly upon whether the organisation ‘buys into’ a programme of process improvement.