Steelworks saves a bundle

One of the UK’s most established steel manufacturers has worked in partnership with MidKent College to make savings of more than £2 million.

Thamesteel Limited based in Sheerness launched a new training scheme funded and delivered by MidKent College’s Business Development Unit in 2009. The scheme, which aimed to reduce waste by developing workers’ knowledge of sustainable processes and procedures, has seen the Al-Tuwairqi Group steel manufacturer make huge business savings across 20 projects in just one year.

In total, seven project teams of nearly 50 workers were trained as part of the MidKent College-funded programme, all of whom also achieved an NVQ in business improvement techniques.

Production manager within the steel manufacturer’s service department, Neil Frostick, estimates that his team is responsible for savings of around £50,000. “The programme was worthwhile in terms of getting the team working together,” he said. “And it was good that the ideas for saving time and improving working practices came from the team themselves, not management,” he added.

Training manager at Thamesteel, Gez Tingley, said: “Whilst we recognise the achievement of a personal qualification for our staff, this programme has enabled Thamesteel to see the training undertaken by its staff put into practice and has brought about a real benefit to the organisation. We are keen to maintain the momentum and hope to continue our relationship with MidKent College.”

The training programme was fully funded and delivered by MidKent College and consisted of a series of trainer-led workshops, group tasks, on the job coaching, and work based projects. Improvements applied to the company’s processes following the training included reducing the amount of dust and pollution produced within the steelworks’ scrap yard, improving steel production processes in order to maximise efficiency levels, and modifying scrap basket shells to prevent the leakage of lime. As well as saving the company money, many of these improvements have also had a positive impact on the environment and health and safety. 

Senior production manager at Thamesteel, Garry Flannery said: “The tangible benefits of the programme are obviously outstanding, especially in these challenging economic times, but equally important are the intangible benefits such as cross functional team work and the sharing of knowledge across departments. This developing culture will ensure success today and will allow for continued improvement going forward.”

Senior plant production manager, Sanjeev Manocha, said: “At Thamesteel we believe in investing in our staff. The lean management training programme taken through MidKent College and our work with Six Sigma has yielded tremendous results in terms of tangible and intangible benefits, such as team building, environmental improvements, safety awareness and better housekeeping.”

Manager of MidKent College’s Business Development Unit, Jacqui Brown, said: “We are delighted to see our training have such a huge impact and are looking forward to maintaining our relationship with Thamesteel Limited and other local businesses long into the future.”