Prior to partnering with Klipspringer for cleaning stations, Bradleys’ factory was just a normal factory – operating tight production schedules, multiple different processes and with shift operatives working around the clock. 

With metalwork prep being an unavoidably messy task and powder-coating requiring a clean environment, cleaning-as-you-go has never been optional; production areas must be kept as dust-free as possible if their guaranteed metal finishes are to hold true.

But with an increasingly full production schedule and factory staff focused on getting jobs out of the door on time, Vern Ward found it more and more difficult to enforce the clean-as-you-go method.

Cleaning equipment would go ‘walking’, forcing production staff to go and look for the utensils they needed.  This, in turn, led to inter-department conflict between different production areas because equipment had been ‘stolen’ or damaged due to improper storage – demoralising, to say the least.

For Vern, business improvement is an inside-out process: “I knew that if I could ensure our production teams had the equipment they needed and they could see we were serious about making visible improvements on the factory floor, they would buy-in to what we were trying to achieve – and that in-turn would positively impact our clients and our bottom line.”

Return on investment was never in question.  Transport, motion and waiting are all fundamental principles in the 8 Wastes of Lean, and every minute that the factory staff were spending looking for brushes, shovels and dustpans was a minute that they weren’t being paid for. Adding this up over multiple operatives and shifts, along with equipment replacement costs and decreased productivity due to demoralised staff, makes the investment in Cleaning Stations hardly even feature.

“The boards themselves are fantastic quality, as are the cleaning utensils, and they have created a real visual identity and awareness in our production environment. Our company mission is all about creating excellence, and the customised cleaning stations convey that to everyone that sees them.”

“For us, the flexibility of having up to 11 colour options to choose from was a big differentiator in Klipspringer’s offering. Although we only needed 9 colours, having a different colour in each factory area means we can instantly see if an item is where it belongs – without the conflict and wasted time of finding out who has stolen it if it is missing.”