Articles
The Case For The Productivity Consultant
You’ve made the decision to improve productivity. You’ve used the Productivity Assessment Tool. You’ve had a Process Improvement Site Visit. You’ve educated yourself and your staff but you’re thirsting for more.
According to Anurag Pandey, the Senior Director of Manufacturing with Productivity Alberta’s Process Improvement Services, you have a couple of options. Train and develop employees to implement your productivity plan Work with a productivity consultant
Multiple clients have come to Pandey with a variation on this refrain. “We have drunk the Kool-Aid and now we want to go deeper.”
Once you start learning about the ways you can improve your bottom line and have happier, more involved employees it’s only natural that you want to do and learn more. If your company is looking for in-depth, long-term implementation of a productivity plan your best bet might be to work with private sector consultants.
Gary Loblick is a self-described “old bugger” when it comes to manufacturing and process improvement in Alberta. He is the president and principal of the Winslow Group and has 35 years of experience as a manager, president, owner and CEO in Canada, US, southeast Asia and Europe.
When the American head office shut down the plant he was working at in 2004 he was getting calls within 24 hours of people looking for his expertise. He’s been a private sector consultant ever since.
“Companies that inquire have a specific need to become more competitive. They’re amongst the leaders in their sector, they recognize that they’re in a global environment and they have to be able to compete on a global scale,” says Loblick.
Alan Schnerch is an industrial engineer with Prosolve Consulting. He’s helped companies start from scratch with lean and before he was a consultant spent time in the courier industry, increasing the productivity of dock and courier operations.
He sees a wide range of clients from manufacturing, warehousing and logistics and food processors to the service industry and health care providers. Clients come to Schnerch and Prosolve with varying levels of knowledge but they’re all looking for the same result.
“They might have an idea of what some of their issues are but they don’t know how to approach it or they don’t have the expertise in how to solve the problems. That’s where Prosolve’s experience comes in. We’ve seen a lot of different situations so we can come to the table with a blend of tools and approaches,” says Schnerch.
In talking with these consultants it becomes obvious that there is a natural symbiosis between the expertise offered by consultants and the knowledge and awareness raising that Productivity Alberta engages in.
“Frankly, we can only do our job if senior management knows they got a problem and that this is a solution and that’s where Productivity Alberta comes in. They can’t fix the individual company’s issues but they can make them aware of paths they can go down which can make them far more productive,” says Loblick.
“Productivity Alberta are the folks who are awakening the 95% of Alberta industry that hasn’t gotten a hold of the concept that they need to be more productive. It’s a great partnership philosophically. We’re not the only game in town either. There are many others doing the consulting thing across Alberta.”
Using the Productivity Assessment Tool to identify your organisation’s productivity gaps is the best way to get started on your productivity journey. You’ll see exactly where you have the opportunity to improve and be connected to a custom menu of resources and services from the Productivity Inventory.
Productivity Alberta maintains an inventory of productivity improvements tools, resources, and services, including consultants, available to Alberta industry. Head to www.productivityalberta.ca/tools/inventory for more information.
If you are a productivity consultant contact Productivity Alberta and let them know about the services you provide.
