Proudfoot News

Most manufacturers⁠—even successful ones⁠—aren’t seeing anywhere near the levels of productivity that their operations are capable of. It’s not for lack of trying; when embarking on a continuous improvement journey to drive excellence in productivity, manufacturers often experience steady progress in the beginning but eventually run into a wall. After all the quick wins have been exhausted, it can become increasingly difficult to capture substantial productivity gains as the project progresses.

How do you go beyond low-hanging fruit to reach that next level of productivity?

The results from implementing a continuous improvement program can diminish over time for a number of reasons.

It is critical to keep up with your competition’s ability to bring new and innovative products to market, yet many companies suffer from excessively long and costly engineering cycles. Most engineering programs aren’t reaching the levels of productivity possible due to a range of issues. 

How do you enable your engineers to deliver better results at a lower cost?

The first step is to initiate an Engineering Productivity Opportunity Assessment. This two-week analysis shows you your engineering program from all perspectives, giving you a granular view of inefficiencies across all facets. It charts a course to unlock your engineering team's true potential by addressing your pain points at the root of the problem.

Sometimes challenges can stem from engineers spending too much time on admin work or getting involved in unnecessary meetings, but in most cases underperformance is due to the compounded impact of many interrelated problems which requires a holistic solution.

For many businesses, improving contact center performance and efficiency represents one of the fastest ways to achieve significant cost savings and revenue growth. Crucial to the success of every contact center is creating a healthy balance between outstanding customer service, employee satisfaction, and cost efficiency. Accomplishing all three of these goals in the most efficient way possible can seem like a big challenge, but it’s an even bigger opportunity to maximize your return on investment in this critical function.

So how do you enable your contact center to deliver better results at a lower cost?

Producers, whether big or small, are trying to become leaner. Angus Maclean, VP at Proudfoot, explains how cement producers achieve cost reductions of 5 USD/ton.

Let's face it, 2016 doesn't look any easier. With the stock market in turmoil and oil prices plummeting, it is safe to assume global CEOs in almost every industry will face a daunting combination of external fiscal pressures, competitive forces, misguided strategies, ineffective business plans and lackluster improvement efforts. In the aftermath of this perfect storm, companies will struggle to reach their goals. 

According to The Economist, if there is a harsh lesson to be learned from China’s recent panic it’s that the rest of the world needs to raise its level of productivity. Long gone are the days where relentless Chinese expansion could be relied upon to keep the global economy moving, and despite external factors that promote robust productivity growth, companies continue to lose ground. If tackling productivity at the microeconomic level is the key to unlocking a nation’s true potential, then business leaders must be part of the solution.

It is estimated that meetings consume more than two days a week of an executive’s time and 15% of an organization’s collective time. It's no wonder many executives are exclaiming, "We must stop meeting like this!" to their supervisory and management teams. 

In a recent interview with several c-level executives, we had the opportunity to discuss how to bridge the gap that often exists between a company’s best demonstrated performance and its true potential.

In several of our recent engagements we have witnessed first-hand the enormous amount of pressure on CEOs to meet the stringent demands of both stakeholders and customers. One such demand that continues to be a top priority for executives is employee productivity. Our experience tells us that a decline in workforce performance and efficiency can put a major dent in an organization’s bottom line.

Critical to the success of every bank is creating a healthy balance between outstanding customer service and employee satisfaction. Establishing a customer-first mentality starts with developing a framework of processes, systems and behaviors that support the customer experience.

Providers must constantly assess internal operations and measure results to stay ahead of the game. However, our recent findings show that most insurers are not tracking metrics that accurately reflect consumer perception. Without this type of valuable insight, they have no way of knowing what to improve upon from a customer’s perspective.

The ability to run operations at full capacity, and then sustain them, is a major challenge for the mining industry. Vital tasks, such as crushing and transferring minerals, are suffering because people and equipment are not being utilized properly. The end result is low productivity and the high costs that are associated with it. However, our recent findings show that it in many cases it is possible to increase productivity in mining between 20 - 40%, reduce supply costs between 10 - 15% and cut energy costs by 2 - 10% through effective asset management.

Knowledge transfer a must

In the natural resources industry, companies are faced with the daunting challenge of maintaining current production levels despite an industry-wide shortage of skilled workers. For example, the lack of college graduates specializing in mining operations

It seems that the only constant in the insurance industry these days is change. The emergence of new technology and “big data” are altering the way insurance carriers conduct business. Long gone is the time where people relied on an agent to buy an insurance policy.

In several of our recent engagements we have witnessed first-hand the enormous amount of pressure on CEOs to meet the stringent demands of both stakeholders and customers. One such demand that continues to be a top priority for executives is employee productivity.

Do your employees feel a connection in the workplace? If not, consider the following: Towers Perrin research reports companies that have engaged employees report a 6% higher net profit margin. In addition, Kenexa research concludes that engaged companies have shareholder returns that are five times higher over the course of five years.

Organizations dealing with rapid changes are often plagued with inconsistencies that limit production and produce erratic results. So why not devise a plan to stop wasteful practices and become more productive? Sounds easy enough, however gaining employee acceptance of a new approach can be extremely challenging. Two key elements must be considered for a large-scale project such as this to be a viable option: behaviors and change management.