While all manufacturers value their customers, many fail to recognise the importance of feedback, and even fewer act on any advice they do receive.

“This is not a constructive approach when trying to improve efficiency, as ultimately nobody uses your products and services more than your customers” explains Dave.

“Yes, they are your greatest critics, but customers also bring unique insights on the performance of a product and efficiency of our services and processes which can’t be gathered through any means except working with us day to day. They’re experts-by-experience and have valuable insights on how we can improve; it’s important to put structures in place to make the most of their informed but external perspectives.”

“This has shaped several major improvements to our production process. For example, by listening to our customers and taking a holistic view of our entire operation, we’ve optimised key areas to increase efficiencies throughout our processes. This has resulted in improvements to the reliability of our deliveries and has significantly reduced delays.”

Bringing in new employees introduces fresh perspectives to a company, which can lead to new ideas and processes being introduced. However, empowering your existing team can also foster innovation, opening up opportunities for change and improvement.

While customer feedback helps identify areas for improvement, empowering your employees facilitates the necessary changes to enhance both the customer and employee experience. “I’ve been at Tecman less than year but have already overseen significant changes to our operations and the wider business.” says Dave Roberts.

“We’ve introduced a Major Projects Team to handle large new business projects which go beyond our day to day operations, meaning that the operations team is able to focus on production quality and performance to consistently deliver on time and in full for our customers."

“Introducing a new, fully automated machine has also significantly increased our capacity and capabilities which is enabling Tecman to develop solutions that improve efficiencies and profitability in our customers processes.”

Dave also makes sure that employees’ expertise and insights are maximised by aligning individuals’ roles with their strengths and skills, so that they’re always adding the most value to the company that they can.

“Developing a team of people with different experiences is a good thing. If you trust them and give them the space, they will make meaningful change based on their experience, the results of which can be transformative as it leads to the implementation of new processes others would never have thought of.”

Implementing new and innovative processes is one of the most underutilised ways to lower input costs and boost profitability without increasing prices for customers, which is only becoming more essential in the current manufacturing market.

This is a difficult challenge to overcome, but fresh perspectives offer a strong but often overlooked place to start when looking for efficiencies.