Junior consultant lays foundation for continuous improvement at ForFarmers Lochem

Since 2020, a CIM: a Continuous Improvement Employee, has been working at all these sites. At ForFarmers in Lochem, this position has been filled between April 2021 and February 2022 by a temporary worker from Symbol: young professional Youp Lotgerink.

Young Professional Youp Lotgerink

No stopping work

“Our previous CIM unfortunately chose a different path in March 2021 and left ForFarmers, so I was shy of a replacement. Our operations director already knew Symbol, and that’s how the ball got rolling. By choosing an interim manager I was able to recruit a permanent employee without having to stop improvement processes,” says Peter Pruijn, Production Manager Operations. “Symbol introduced Youp to me and after the first interview I decided to go for him. After all, with his knowledge, experience and personality he fit the profile for CIM perfectly ánd he was available immediately. And to this day I haven’t regretted the choice for a single day.”

Lasting impact

“Youp quickly became part of the team and a committed colleague to both the people on the shop floor and the MT,” Peter continues. “He is also enormously driven: he did everything he could to maximize his role and made sure there was always enough work on his plate. As a result, we were able to achieve a lot in a short period of time. Furthermore, he has made sure that his work is really embedded in our organization – and I think that is also typical Symbol.” Youp adds: “Symbol wants to achieve lasting impact of improvements with clients, and so do I. Not only do I want to deliver good work in terms of content, but I also like to include the human side in order to secure my work. After all, it’s human nature to want to do things the way you’ve always done them -change is exciting. That’s why I always go to the shop floor, also at ForFarmers: ‘I thought of this, what do you think?’ By involving people in the improvement process right from the start, they feel valued and heard. That ultimately ensures better assurance.”

An effective day start

Youp has taken on two major projects in his ten months at ForFarmers Lochem. “First, I laid a foundation for continuous improvement. KPIs are now tracked, data from systems is used to improve processes and the day start has been implemented. The latter took some getting used to for the people here – they now stand at a white board at 8:15 a.m. to discuss the previous day’s results and the plans for the new day. But things are getting better and people are enthusiastic and taking more responsibility.” Peter agrees. “The great thing is that the both transport planning and production are involved in the day start. We are producing more and more order-oriented, which has a great influence on efficient production planning. And it naturally affects our logistics: one day more goes out the door than the next. During the start of the day, both departments discuss with each other what can or cannot be done that day. And because our KPIs are made visually visible on a white board, the departments can concretely discuss with each other how the previous day performed in relation to those KPIs.”

The flow of orders under the microscope

Order flow was also scrutinized by Youp. “Because the production process is determined by the flow of orders, some days are busier than others. This sometimes creates challenges in both production planning and logistics planning. Based on data from various systems, I mapped the entire process from orders to production. Six bottlenecks emerged: factors with a major influence on the order flow. For example, ForFarmers receives a relatively large number of rush orders, and rush orders constantly upset both the production planning and the logistical planning. Directing customers’ ordering behavior a bit more, for example by giving discounts if customers order earlier, creates a more stable order flow.” “Addressing bottlenecks like this requires the entire company, from sales to transportation planning,” Peter adds. “Youp’s successor – a new CIM who started recently – is therefore going to translate the six bottlenecks into practical action points for our organization. And if we need help with anything or become shy in a particular department, of course we know where to find Symbol. After all, Youp’s assignment is over, but the cooperation with Symbol has been so good that we are only too happy to keep the contacts warm.”

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