Unionaire has a dire need to an Effective Supply Chain, with 6 plants of different products from heaters, air-conditions, cookers and stoves etc… one of the challenges lean deployment team faced with the inaccurate demand forecast. Unionaire team made significant efforts to implement Oracle ERP system and review master data for all entries, which is now fully implemented and functioning in warehousing and still underway in purchasing and finance.

Exports needs over the last 5 months was near to forecasting to a great extent that exports were 100% of the production during this period. Having said that, domestic forecast is more difficult.

Unionaire has made extensive work with Oracle and continues efforts to fully complete utilization of ERP in finance and purchasing as well as supplier management.

Quick Change Over: In plastic plant a problem remains unsolved which negatively affected the quick change over, new machines will be moved to implement 5S and allocate a space next to it with the material needed for 2 days.

2 challenges the changeover team faced that each new machine will be allocated a certain space with its allocated materials

A dedicated supervisor to monitor 5 S on a daily basis, supervisors were challenged with the frequent changing production orders. On average they make 36 change /day. Lean is quite beneficial handling such change and gain agility and flexibility curbing them.

Quick Wins…

• Stock items, print outs with item code /no and description are printed and posted on each item available.
• Unification of description through CRM and weekly production is posted vs planned weekly production planning. Accuracy of Demand Planning reached 75% to date.
• Significant decrease in days of Absence among plant labors during deployment of lean indicates higher engagement and motivation trends.
• Middle warehousing: providing material for 2 day production to cope with changing production plans and meeting urgent requests.
• 5 S implemented successfully and operators are being trained to reduce the WASTE.
• Air-condition plant have become agile to change in production planning and stove plant is going through the transformation into Lean to become agile too and flexible to productivity plan change.

22 trainee on lean green belt, 2 lean black belt and 1 on six sigma (focus on data analytics) over 31 full training days

lean for 30 technicians – 2 groups 15 trainee each over 3 training days for each group

Unionaire Feedback by Eng. Wael Mokhtar
Customer Service Sector Head & LEAN Project Manager

Since the project early days of implementing Advanced Lean Project, it became evident that it have a huge impact on the company not only with regards to the project but changing the company culture from within. The following 18months; the project lifespan Symbios consultants showed flexibility, high efficiency and perseverance that enabled them overcome several challenges and repeated pauses due to high demand from expanding into both the local and export markets for air-conditions and cookers. They were committed to meeting the deadlines and results exceeded all our expectations. Savings results = 15 x cost of the LEAN project. The biggest advantage was spreading the LEAN culture and eliminating WASTE in operations, factories, admin and technical levels.

In a nut shell, Unionaire has gained Symbios as its “Strategic Partner” that will work together in the future to further promote LEAN into other manufacturing part of Unionaire factories and growth.

Copyright © 2017 Symbios Consulting, All rights reserved

20th December 2016 … The Launching Day

After 2 months of preparations and Symbios/ Egypt Foods meetings, it was decided to launch the LEAN project at the

plant in Quesna , Menofia where the 6 plants exist in the Industrial Area. The Chairman, CEO and members of the

Management team as well as heads of teams for each plant gathered in the Admin Building to kick off the LEAN Journey

Japanese 20Keys system. The Chairman; Mr. Mohamed Bar expressed his confidence in the participating audience

exerting all efforts implementing world class LEAN 20 keys system and grasping its importance in realizing further success

of the Group. The CEO; Mr. Khaled Shokry gave a brief about the LEAN journey using 20 keys for the attendees

Targets of the Launching ceremony as communicated by the CEO and other management members were :

“ Management stressed on the importance of the project as well as their expectations are high from all participant parties” . Mr. Mohamed Bar, Chairman of Egypt Foods

“ Efficiency/Productivity is no longer a luxury or good to have, it has become a MUST.LEAN is not an exercise it’s a change of a mindset” Mr. Khaled Shorky, Chief Executive Officer

1. Understand the Importance of LEAN and how it helps in Setting Key Performance Indicators,
2. How to align and cascade objects from the TOP MGMT Level through out Department Heads and finally the individual level,
3. How to integrate and break working in silos in order to reach an integrated bigger team of all departments,
4. How to Produce Smarter and with the LEAST WASTE,

Symbios consulting is proud with its strategic project with KAPCI Coating an Egyptian Company striving towards Excellence and has deserved its world known reputation as key market leader in car refinish, wood coatings as well as industrial coatings. 

KAPCI COATINGS was established in 1985 in Kantara. In 2002 the company name was changed from “Kantara Paints and Chemical Industries” to KAPCI COATINGS and started the production in the new site in Port Said. 

 KAPCI COATINGS is the market leader and the largest producer in Egypt in Car Refinish Sector.

KAPCI COATINGS is the market leader and the largest producer in Egypt in Wood Coatings Sector.

Total production is 65,000 tons of paints and its ancillaries (2009)

The total area of the company is 170,000 sq. m.

Total Number of employees is 1500

The Company

Vodafone Group Plc provides a full range of mobile telecommunications services, including voice and data communications. Vodafone has equity interests in 27 countries and Partner Networks in a further 27 countries with almost all the Group's mobile subsidiaries operating principally under the brand name 'Vodafone'.

On 1st January 1985 we made the UK's first mobile call. This call was to mark the launch of the mobile industry and to transform the communications world. We have a customer base of over 100 million and interests in network operators across 27 countries.

Our vision - is to be the world's mobile communications leader - enriching customers' lives, helping individuals, businesses and communities be more connected in a mobile world. We continue to channel massive investment (currently £10 million per week) into building a network which allows you to make more calls from more places and remain assured that the quality and reliability of our service is second to none. In the last 3 years, we have reduced costs over 5 times which equates to a typical reduction of over 50% for our customers.

The provision of coverage and capacity to call handling and billing we remain focused on maintaining a high level of customer service. We are entering new and uncharted territory. In the near future, we will see next generation technology become widely available. We are determined to remain the leading innovator in the field of mobile communications.

The Challenge

• Need to work on new processes rather than broken processes using the existing infrastructure of Green, Black and Master Black Belts.

• Mentor new process development and new product introduction projects to successful implementation.

• Create an internalised capability of training Vodafone Black Belts in Design for Six Sigma methodologies.

The Solution

The starting point for Symbios Consulting Group was to develop a unique Design For Six Sigma product offering which was unique for the service environment and tailored to Vodafone’s specific business and needs. Then Symbios Consulting Group trained all the company’s Black and Master Black Belts in Design for Six Sigma for the service environment.

This formed the foundation and core skill set to allow the company to execute some very high visibility and strategically important new processes and products. Symbios Consulting Group facilitated this through close quarter project mentoring for both the project management and the technical aspects.

This resulted in enormous benefits for new product introduction development and launch costs that would differentiate Vodafone from its aggressive competitors.

The Company

The LEONI group holding, LEONI AG, has its headquarters in Nurnberg and has grown through controlled organic and acquisitive activities and is currently generating 1.4 billion euros of revenue. To manage this, the business has been structured into three divisions Wire, Cable and Wiring Systems.  

Our Wire division is the worldwide second largest supplier of wire and strands for electrical engineering. The division has a comprehensive production programme which fulfills all customer requirements as far as quality and variety are concerned. Our Cable Division  has a leading position in the market of automotive wires and cables for the telecommunications industry. The Cable Division is divided into five business units: Automotive and Standard Cables, Cable Assemblies, Mobile Telecom Assemblies, Data Cables and Special Cables. Our Wiring Systems Division is a global partner which develops and delivers wiring system solutions for the automobile industry. Besides cable harness production, the Wiring Systems Division focuses on the development of complete wiring systems and the associated electronics. 

The Challenge

• Universal commitment to succeed and embrace change to improve.

• Wide spread focus on Performance Optimisation through robust and flexible methodologies.

• Deep penetration and usage of waste elimination and process variability reduction as a management system

• Improvement in performance and process deployment.

• Ownership for process and performance improvement

• Measurement of voice of customer

• Focus on accuracy and resolution for Customers and the Value Stream.

• To provide significant improvements to the supply chain capabilities.

The Solution

The starting point for Symbios Consulting Group was to undertake a baseline review of the current manufacturing process and identify the key waste elements within the business of all the suppliers engaged with Paccar. This involved a two to three day review of the business processes both operational and support conducting a series of process maps and value stream maps.

Then Symbios Consulting Group identified specific performance and skill gaps in the businesses that would inhibit their competitiveness for the future when compared with their worldwide peer groups. This allowed the development of tailored and specific needs based improvement plans involving Lean Six Sigma training and development in all areas.

Symbios Consulting Group supported this implementation across all suppliers involved yielding multi million pounds bottom line savings and creating a sustainable change in all the businesses involved.

The Company

Penny + Giles is a leading designer and manufacturer of specialist avionics equipment, position sensors and control hardware for industrial, military and aerospace markets. With almost 50 years of experience in a wide range of industries.

Our product range now includes linear and rotary position sensors; LVDT and RVDT transducers; joystick controllers; studio faders; digital panel meters; solenoids; cockpit voice and flight data recorders; air data test sets; pitot-static leak testers; ice & snow detection systems. 

Penny + Giles' success in world markets results from innovative technology, creative designs, manufacturing excellence and interactive customer support. For almost 50 years we have built an unsurpassed store of experience which is supported by high precision engineering. 

Penny + Giles is wholly owned by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation of Roseland, New Jersey. Curtiss-Wright is a diversified, global enterprise delivering highly engineered, technologically advanced, value-added products and services to a broad range of industries in the motion control, flow control and metal treatment market segments. Curtiss-Wright employs approximately 5,900 people. 

The Challenge

• To launch Lean Six Sigma thinking into some high profile customer concern areas.

• Use this experience to develop a more structured and long term deployment model.

• Develop business unit level deployment programmes that reflected the unique needs of each unit.

• Extend the existing Lean capabilities into a coherent Lean Six Sigma protocol and capability.

The Solution

The starting point for Symbios Consulting Group was to facilitate the identification of the highest impact areas that were hurting the business. This would allow the Lean Six Sigma belts to push these improvements in their areas. This approach would develop a core nucleus of competent belts who would help demonstrate the applicability ion all of the businesses environments.

Symbios Consulting Group, using the Symbios Global Lean Six Sigma Diagnostics Toolbox and the Symbios Global Lean Six Sigma Training Toolbox facilitated 5 key projects from identification through to implementation whilst training the belts simultaneously.

This experience was used within all the businesses to develop a strategic rollout of Lean Six Sigma across all the UK divisions.