Manufacturing Consultant UK
Diagnose, Stabilise, Optimise, then Digitalise and automate. No shortcuts, and no automating before the foundations are solid. Each phase pays back on its own and unlocks the next.
Stabilise the process. Optimise the process. Then automate the process. Every engagement follows the same four phases in order, and each phase has a defined deliverable so you can stop, pause or continue at every gate.
The majority of automation and digital projects fail not because the technology was wrong, but because the process underneath was never stable enough to receive it. Following the sequence removes that risk. You automate a process that works, not one that does not.
Map the current state. Find where value leaks and why. No assumptions.
Build standard work and quality foundations so the process is predictable before it is improved.
Apply Lean tools to eliminate waste, reduce changeover and unlock hidden capacity.
Introduce systems and automation with a clear ROI on a stable foundation.
A deep dive into your current state: process mapping, waste identification, data analysis and team interviews to pinpoint where value is leaking and why. Most operations find £80K to £300K of recoverable value in the first two weeks.
Deliverable: current-state assessment report, priority improvement matrix and an initial business case. See the operations assessment.
Build standard work, visual controls and quality foundations before anything else changes. An unstable process must be stabilised before automation, otherwise you automate the chaos and lock it in.
Deliverable: documented SOPs, visual boards, an FMEA risk register and a measurable drop in process variation.
Apply targeted Lean tools to remove remaining waste, cut changeovers, improve flow and unlock hidden capacity across people, equipment and materials. Most of the financial uplift is realised here, without capital expenditure.
Deliverable: measurable throughput gains and freed capacity, typically a 15% to 40% uplift in a first engagement. See OEE assessment and cost reduction.
Now introduce systems and automation, with a proven ROI case and a stable foundation ready to receive them. ERP and MRP, shop-floor data, smart test rigs and cobots that typically pay back within 12 to 24 months.
Deliverable: commissioned systems with validated ROI. Example: a £3.5M capex project delivered on time and within scope. See manufacturing digitalisation.
Automating an unstable process locks in the chaos. Stabilising first, through standard work, 5S and FMEA quality foundations, means automation runs reliably from day one. Most automation failures come from a process that was never ready.
Typically about two weeks. It includes value stream mapping, waste identification, OEE baselining, root-cause analysis and interviews, and ends with an assessment report, a priority matrix and an initial business case.
Typically 15% to 40% without capital expenditure, through SMED changeover reduction, line balancing, OEE improvement, capacity planning and pull flow design. Results depend on your starting point and are measured on your own floor.
Business case development, supplier selection and specification, smart test rig design, cobot integration, ROI measurement and capex project management. See automation consultants.
Two weeks on your floor, and a plan with a pound value on every finding.
Manufacturing operations assessment and digitalisation for UK manufacturers. Led by a chartered engineer. Stabilise first, then automate.
UK-based. Serving manufacturers nationwide.
1 Greenlands Road