UK 'game' aids Saudi Arabia's largest steel maker
17 May 2012
Warrington, UK – Saudi Arabia’s largest steel manufacturer, Hadeed, is rolling out an intensive workshop programme with UK consultancy Reliable Manufacturing to help meet safety and reliability goals in its plant.
Hadeed, which is part of SABIC, began its programme with Reliable Manufacturing last October: the Warrington-based change-management firm conducting a workshop titled ‘The Manufacturing Game’.
The workshop involved simulations of real-world experiences to recreate the challenges in improving reliability, customer responsiveness, production output and safety.
“‘The Manufacturing Game’ is a great way to instantly engage staff in the change-process and let them discover new ways to communicate and engage with each other,” said Hasan M. Al-Abandi, reliability manager of Hadeed.
“Staff began immediately applying the skills they learnt in the Game to real life issues within the organisation; we have already begun to see a cultural shift in attitudes towards safety and reliability.”
The 30 senior and middle management staff that took part in the initial workshop were able to simulate the experience of a five-year journey to world class performance in just two days.
Following the initial workshop, Reliable Manufacturing said it is set to conduct a further series of workshops with Hadeed.
Established in 1979, Hadeed is Saudi Arabia’s biggest Steel manufacturer, employing more than 2,800 people. The company is part of SABIC, the largest and most profitable non-oil company in the Middle East. It produces a range of products including rebar, wire, hot rolled strip, with a capacity of more than 5 million metric tonnes annually. Having entered a $435 million long term loan facility with HSBC Middle East last year, Hadeed will expand further with production from a new steel plant expected to start later this year.
