Had life followed the script then Kirsty Wainwright would be working in the serenity of a lab not calling the shots amid the helter-skelter of a leather tannery. But fate intervened when the former biosciences graduate covered for a colleague in operations and fell in love with the frenetic pace of production.
Wainwright was quickly appointed to champion operations excellence at NCT's Bridge of Weir tannery. The 28-year-old faced a workforce steeped in a 'we tried it all before' mentality. Unperturbed, she vowed to win the shopfloor round to CI.
Wainwright's munificent managerial style has won loyal support. She's implemented a lineside manufacturing hub where the shopfloor gathers twice daily to discuss improvements in flow, OEE and quality. The site has been divided into seven lean zones. Performance is monitored through traffic light target boards with 5S scores fuelling intense competition between the seven teams.
The shopfloor has been galvanised behind gains in quality, safety, cost and delivery. Belief has been a powerful performance enhancer with throughput of hides rising from 200 to 250 per hour, overtime reduced and landfill waste halved.
Wainwright discusses the latest gains with colleagues on her daily gemba walks. "We tried to focus on improvement and control for employees in their own area," she explains. "It was someone coming to listen and the biggest thing you heard on the shopfloor was: 'Ach, I've been telling them that for years'."
The heart on sleeves approach was instrumental in Kirsty scooping the Manufacturing Leader Award at Manufacturing Champions. The category celebrates a team player with the ability to motivate employees to deliver success.
The judges said: "Kirsty single-handedly led and deployed ops excellence in a tough environment. She recognised the power of communication, built momentum and achieved genuine buy-in from a once sceptical workforce."
Do you know an inspiring leader? Enter Manufacturing Champions. Email mgosney@findlay.co.uk
'Grasping the opportunity with both hands'
Julie Madigan, chief executive, The Manufacturing Institute
We've been creating, supporting and celebrating manufacturing champions for the last 20 years, from the smallest SMEs to global manufacturing giants. Our remit is to inspire, educate and improve manufacturing, and that's why the range of talent we saw at the Manufacturing Champions Awards last year was both exciting and uplifting.
Kirsty Wainwright, who won the Manufacturing Leader Award, is a great example of someone who has grasped an opportunity with both hands, embraced lean thinking, successfully communicated this to her team and led them to operational success.
Her results at NCT Leather's Bridge of Weir factory speak for themselves. The shopfloor gathers at 9am and 3pm daily to discuss improvements in line flow, OEE, quality and maintenance. Performance is also monitored through traffic light target boards with 5S scores fuelling intensive competition between the seven teams. Production throughput has soared 30% since the scheme's inception. The fact that Kirsty has achieved all of this success at the age of 28, and in a traditional male environment is also to her great credit.
There are many more fantastic stories about how manufacturing leaders are making a difference out there, and we look forward to
hearing them at this year's Manufacturing Champions Awards.
