The client
A large, Japanese family-owned company (a recognised Tier-1 automotive supplier) was building a modern factory in Eastern Europe to serve its automotive customers. Shortly afterward, it acquired a competitor's division in the same city, which was engaged in a similar activity. The two divisions merged, leaving the old factory of the acquired company empty.
Almost at the same time, the company won a tender from a top European commercial vehicle manufacturer for the production and supply of a range of products. This represented a huge growth opportunity and all the conditions seemed to be in place.
The problem
However, once production started, serious problems arose. It turned out that:
- an industrial building is not a factory,
- the employees who used to work there are not a team,
- a commercial vehicle is not a car,
- and the corporate culture of the new customer is not like that of the existing customers.
The company contacted Interim Ltd. at the point where the situation had reached the point where they could only meet the customer's needs with daily express aviation transport.
The very next day, our interim manager showed up at the client's factory and the project was underway! Within a week, he assessed (diagnosed) the situation and identified:
- the technological process was perfect for producing car parts, but the specific nature of commercial vehicles was not considered due to the short timeframe.
- the employees who were brought back together did not form a team, the many excellent people did not play in one band.
- there was a total lack of accountability and responsibility of management.
The solution
The interim manager was personally involved in implementing the solution steps. He led the review and correction of incomplete and faulty technological processes. His work relied heavily on the rapid implementation of simple, visual management tools.
He brought team-building tools to bring the team together, switched to daily reporting, introduced one-on-one mentoring, and conducted goal-oriented individual and group discussions.
The result
Thanks to the intervention of the interim manager, nice results were achieved:
- the express flights were eliminated within four weeks.
- the situation became manageable within three months and customer service was in the acceptable zone.
- after the successful project closure, Interim Ltd. received further assignments from this customer in Europe and Africa.