‘Best factory’ aims

Solidor is aiming to become the best UK factory under the guidance of internationally recognised ‘World Class’ lean manufacturing expert, operations director Mike Price.

The company has invested significantly over the last two years to transform its operations – including its people – while pursuing the philosophy of continuous improvement.

Solidor has made fundamental changes to systems and procedures, in additional machinery, factory and warehouse space, and streamlined workflow so the space in the factory is maximised for efficient, high quality production.

“In manufacturing and operations, Solidor is completely different to how it was a couple of years ago,” Mike said. “We’ve improved the flow of the process to optimise space and time, and invested in more space so we can keep growing.”

Solidor measures its Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) at every stage of the manufacturing process, and puts them up in the factory so everyone can see how they’re doing at any time.

“The KPIs mean that everyone can see that they’re an important member of the team,” Mike said. “Every person can see how their work affects the KPIs of their team, and of the factory as a whole. It’s a real motivator, and encourages a happy workforce.

“We’ve grown incredibly fast in the last few years, and we’re still growing fast, which is why we’ve invested in making our manufacturing facility world-class. That means eliminating waste and maximising productivity, which is as much about the people as it is about the equipment they use.

“We’re currently achieving 99.8% of orders delivered on time and in full. We’ll keep improving so we, and our customers, can keep growing. We want to make Solidor’s factory the best ever!”