Operator retraining secures better results for Kimberly Clark

Citation

(2007), "Operator retraining secures better results for Kimberly Clark", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 39 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2007.03739eab.002

Operator retraining secures better results for Kimberly Clark

A high-performing Humberside factory, owned by health and hygiene company Kimberly Clark, has increased its production and employee productivity by retraining operators.

The Barton plant is among the company’s largest single investments and is one of the key diaper-manufacturing plants in Europe. Together with the Humberside Engineering Training Association, it has been highly commended in the latest UK National Training Awards.

“The plant is a major employer in the region and we recognised the need to develop our teams with specific technical skills. This played a part in our drive to reduce production costs and improve manufacturing efficiency,” said training and development leader Kate Conway. “The programme to create effective operator-maintainers focuses on the teams having the right skills and knowledge to work autonomously and to carry out tasks that would further increase flexibility.”

Targeted improvements required operations teams to undertake a range of machine-maintenance tasks and product-change set-ups that were previously done by technicians. This, in turn, has enabled the technicians to concentrate on more-complex technical processes.

Working in partnership with the Humberside Engineering Training Association, Kimberly Clark designed a comprehensive programme that saw more than 200 volunteers from shifts carrying out a competency assessment at the training association. This then enabled an intensive three-day course to be developed to deliver the range of skills and knowledge necessary to carry out tasks within the plant. At the end of this training, candidates were mentored and assessed by Kimberly-Clark technicians to ensure that they had the necessary competency to carry out clearly-defined tasks.

To date, more than 100 operators have successfully completed the programme, with no failures. Further modules and courses are continuing.

“The improvements gained from the programme are impressive. There have been marked increases in productivity and operating efficiencies, as well as a reduction in maintenance spare-parts spending. The plant has also improved upon its impressive safety record. This is significant, considering that the plant was performing at a high level before the programme’s introduction,” said Kate Conway.

“The collaboration between technicians and operators has been outstanding and a credit to all involved.

“Work is now in progress to design a technicians’ cross-skill course further to unify the electrical and mechanical teams. Whole-team commitment has been rewarded with whole-team involvement.”