Chemicals firm scoops UK accolade
19 Jan 2011
London – Warwick Chemicals is the UK winner of the National Training Award for 2010. The award reflects the success of its TPM (total productive management) training programme, which has doubled productivity and delivered a 220% return on investment.
Warwick Chemicals is a major global supplier of TAED (tetraacetylethylenediamine), a key additive for the global detergents industry. Acetic acid is a by-product of its manufacture, and in 2007 the company developed a new sodium acetate product based on this acid.
By bringing reprocessing back into its Mostyn plant, Warwick took 100 tanker loads of acid per annum off the roads, as well as saving on costs - but manufacturing the new product had proved problematical.
“Every shift brought new challenges and variables within the process, leading to very real frustrations,” said Martin Hiorns, manufacturing engineer at Warwick (left in picture).
Improvement projects led to only limited success - so, rather than bringing in outside operational process specialists again, in early 2010 Warwick decided to harness the problem-solving power of its own team, via TPM.
Eighteen operators, plus maintenance, support and management staff, attended TPM training and were encouraged to take ownership of the plant and processes. Led by a TPM consultant, they learnt how to identify problems they met on a daily basis and suggest how they could be improved. “Our teams left the TPM training buzzing with enthusiasm,” said John Jones, process improvement co-ordinator (pictured displaying the NTA trophy). “They were able to address the problems by applying best practices, and were empowered to change anything they needed to improve performance.”
Troublesome process problems were modified, equipment upgraded, and the workplace was transformed to a more efficient, safer environment, where morale and productivity have soared. “Improving and standardising processes has doubled plant output,” said Jones.
With efficiency and productivity hitting new heights - and maintenance, running and energy consumption costs significantly reduced - Warwick is now looking to roll out the TPM programme across the rest of the site.
