Manufacturing improvement specialists
Helping manufacturers get more from their factories.
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Services
1. Solving problems and building performance stability
• Root-cause problem solving • Improving systems & processes • Implementing robust team-structures, roles and responsibilities.
2. Training, mentoring & upskilling managers and team leaders.
• How to build high performing and high morale teams. • Developing personal resilience and the skills to perform under pressure.
• Understanding and implementing operational best-practice tools & lean manufacturing techniques • How to deliver successful change.
3. Turning improvement plans into practical action.
• A highly flexible service. From supporting strategy-development & execution plans, right through to successful implementation.
Andy Smith
Head of Sales
"Steve delivered strategic improvements to our processes and operations implementing cost savings at the same time as improving service which enabled margin improvements. He is results driven and works with all levels of teams from shop floor to Director level. I would rate Steve as the best Operations person I have worked with."
Paul White
Managing Director
“Steve has the rare and winning formula of being both people and process focused. Steve's team are highly engaged with him and have respect for his approach and the results they/he achieves.
Thank you for your support Steve, it is really appreciated."
Trevor Durant
AI & Manufacturing Advisor
"A highly credible, hands-on operations leader who combines deep technical knowledge with a calm, pragmatic style that gets results without drama. He has a rare breadth of experience across automotive, food and beverage and engineering environments, and he can move comfortably between shopfloor reality and strategic direction.”
Keith Gilbert
Group Head of Operations
"Steve has a fundamentally strong comprehension of manufacturing operations. He has an unequivocal understanding of the principles of lean which he delivers to a high and effective standard. We continue to benefit from his input across our cultures and systems. I was surprised how quickly he was able to impact the plant."
Greg McDougall
Head of Logistics
“Steve is the embodiment of leadership. So much of who I now am as a people leader is inspired by my time working for him.
Beyond people leadership Steve also taught me how to structure my work, as my natural style was always to ride the chaos and measure only results not routes. Whereas Steve’s approach was always if you build a system follow the process the results will take care of themselves."
Robert Frittrang
Group Projects GM
"Steve is an outstanding manager in the BMW paint shop. He is a person everybody likes to work with because of his professional and integrating style of management. He creates a working environment that motivates his teammembers to contribute to their maximum. He is equally as successful as team a player as he is a manager and project leader.”
About: Steve Savage (owner)
For 25 years I’ve worked directly at the heart of manufacturing & engineering.
Starting out as an apprentice engineer with Nestle, from day-one I fell in love with manufacturing and everything about working in factories. At BMW, I spent an amazing decade in engineering, projects and manufacturing-operations. Ultimately leading 700+ people as General Manager, and delivering over 2 million MINI cars. Together, we successfully delivered major facility & engineering programmes, launched new models, introduced new processes & IT systems, embedded (Toyota) Lean Manufacturing, and built a genuinely outstanding team.
Results included step-changing quality, capacity, utilisation & lead times. Plus significant cost improvements.
Most importantly; outstanding team morale & involvement underpinned everything we achieved.
My experience since, spans food & drink, automotive, engineering & fabrication, and chemicals. SME board-member director roles. Blue-chip multi-national brands, physical logistics & contract-manufacturing.
3 Key Services
1. Problem Solving
& Change Management.
Every factory faces challenges and lost potential. But both can be rapidly turned into improvements & results with the right focus.​
Typical support might include:
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Resolving 'repetitive' shopfloor problems/losses
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Tackling product-quality & RFT issues
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Increasing daily target-achievement & output
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Reducing machinery breakdowns & losses
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Cost savings (rework, overtime, scrap, stock, etc)
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Improving information-flow & daily-planning.
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Providing structure & mentorship so managers become more productive
Having sat in the Operations Director seat, we understand the importance of fixing issues in a pragmatic way, but also so they stay fixed.
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2. Training, Coaching &
Mentoring Manufacturing Teams
Our Manufacturing-Leadership & Best-Practice training is tailor-designed to match your specific business and industry. Starting with a site visit, meeting your team, and observing your products & processes first-hand. We align our content, delivery and application with your priorities, initiatives & key metrics.
Areas of specialism:
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Helping leaders better manage their time, energy, resourcefulness and daily/weekly routines
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Helping managers build the right skills-coverage, flexibility and standards within core manufacturing teams.
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The practical application of best-practice-methods continuous improvement & Lean tools
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Managing change so that improvements stick, and progress builds
We also provide certified Lean training & mentoring.
3. Strategy Creation
& Delivery
​Businesses move forward with greater effectiveness when direction is intentional and future-priorities clear. However turning strategical intentions into executable action isn't always easy. Especially while simultaneously managing a busy business.
Our flexibles services can include:
1. Working with you to define the overall strategy.
2. Providing professional change-management that sees actions and outcomes through to successful completion.
3. Specific research & analysis, or NED support.
4. Mentoring internal teams to successfully deliver key change and objectives.
​​Through adaptable frameworks and simplified tools. We help turn your ideas, priorities & target-outcomes into clear & achievable plans that get delivered.