CI programme helps Inspirepac double turnover

The company, with support from the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), introduced a number of best practice techniques to free up capacity to embark on a sales drive that has seen annual turnover hit £24m this year – up £11m from 2008. Plant director Martin Brown said: "We had tried to embark on lean a few months before, but it didn't quite work out as we didn't have the complete buy-in of all the staff." Outside help enabled Inspirepac to take a more holistic and strategic view of what it was doing. "It started with a complete business review, which developed an action plan for us to follow. John Ransford, our advisor, then worked with us to implement the lean business tools and importantly train a number of key team leaders who would act as the driving force for the project. "This had the desired effect in securing the complete buy-in of the staff and there's a new culture present within the business. Original equipment effectiveness is up by 50% and the flow of communication – starting in the offices at the point of order – has improved dramatically." Inspirepac, which is part of the Logson Group, employs 125 people at its Wetherby factory where it manufactures a range of printed corrugated products.