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Sector:


Part of International Textile Group

Background

  • Business with over a century of heritage         
  • Supply to the world's top couture houses and international contemporary fashion designers
  • Factory with around 500 staff

Problem

  • Seasonal business with peak managed by short term temporary contracts
  • Large number of “smoking” breaks
  • Multiple pay grades
  • Poor productivity
  • Workers specific to single point of process
  • High sickness levels

Outcome

  • Flexible hours contracts implemented
  • Seasonal patterns to match demand
  • Breaks reduced to one in afternoon
  • Basic pay increased by an average 8.5%
  • Reduction to 3 pay grades
  • Reduction of 50 full time production staff
  • Sickness levels halved overnight

Clothing Manufacturer

Background

  • Multiple knitting factories
  • 300+ employees
  • Previous failed initiative to introduce flexible working

Problem

  • Highly seasonal business – doubling of workload between trough and peak
  • High overtime
  • High manufacturing lead time (12 weeks)
  • Poor productivity
  • High work in progress

Outcome

  • Introduced a voluntary annual hours scheme – initially more than half employees took option
  • Seasonal work patterns introduced
  • Halved lead time
  • 11%+ increase in productivity
  • Mixture of full and part timers
  • Subsidised crèche opened
  • Subsidised transport offered

Sector:

Case Studies | Research | Useful Links

 Rosette
Blue Bar

"The gains not only drew in our costs but substantially improved our flexibility to respond in a fiercely competitive market"

Managing Director, Dawson International Subsidiary Company

Blue Bar

"Our Plan 2000 was designed to position Guinness in Dublin as a world class operation. Annual Hours was a central plank of our overall strategy, and Pasfield Curran consultants were able to assist us with their expertise in this area, allied to a wide knowledge and experience of the overall organisational factors involved in a major change programme"

Matthew Murphy, General Manager, Guinness

Blue Bar

“With the help of Pasfield Curran we now have a truly flexible workforce which genuinely reacts to daily workload fluctuations to meet customer needs. We now achieve 99.9% service level everyday at no extra cost”

Michelle Cook, Operations Manager, Boots the Chemist

Blue Bar

“Operating in an international market where customers must be satisfied immediately otherwise competition will step in, means we must constantly search for new ways of working. Matching workstyle with lifestyle is the key to success. In partnership with our staff and help from Pasfield Curran we moved from 5 days a week to 7 day working”

Kevin Riddett, Operations Manager, Motorola

Blue Bar

“Prior to the project we thought we were quite good communicators but the work we did with Pasfield Curran led us to a higher plane”

Tony McGrath, General Manager, Rhodia

Blue Bar