TOMS GRUPPEN A / S
CULTURE OF IMPROVEMENT AS A COMPETITION PARAMETER
Tom's factories are at the forefront when it comes to the good working environment and employee involvement. With a large number of unskilled employees, there are many routine tasks, and for a number of years there has been a sharp focus on the good corporate culture as an important competitive parameter in the global market.
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Toms produces all its own products at the factories in Ballerup and Hvidovre, although it seems obvious to move production to countries with lower labor costs. But Toms has chosen not to gamble with the high quality and instead focuses on upskilling the employees at the Danish factories.
- We had a long search process to find the right partner but found it difficult to get someone to deliver the training we needed. First with Maestro we experienced that NOW we agree, says Gert Brandt Petersen, EVP Total Supply Chain.
- Maestro matched our needs. There should not be much theory but very practical applicability in it. It should be usable
to create results immediately and be built up so we could get a lot of people through relatively quickly so we got formed critical mass in the company. And that solved Maestro, says Gert Brandt Petersen and continues:
- We can feel that the people Maestro has trained have a brand new one spark. They are all up for flying and think it's great. The substance makes sense in everyday life and the courage to go out and change.
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Dissemination and anchoring
At Tom's factories, you experience that a common space has been created where a strong culture of improvement is built up and it can be read on efficiency of production. From the management's side, the fad has been to pull it all down in one everyday language that is easy to convey to get the culture of improvement rooted throughout the organization.
In the past, Toms has been through pure Lean projects.
- We had a lot of consultants running, who set up boards and introduced Japanese concepts. But the individual employee on the floor had a hard time absorbing it; it was too difficult to understand, explains Gert Brandt Petersen about the reason for the lack of anchoring in the employees.
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- Maestro's people are not academics who have taken some education and started teaching. They are industrial people and it makes a huge difference. They have the understanding of what works, and what does not work, in practice.
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Employee involvement picks up potential of DKK 5 million. DKK home
As part of the training process, a case must be made at home own company. At Toms, a committed employee made i.a. a project regarding. reduction of shrinkage by peeling of almonds. During training, he had been coached by Maestro and had brought home a lot of practical tools to solve the task. The project resulted in a saving of 1/2 million. DKK - and has thereby paid for a lot of participants at Toms.
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- We have actually made money by sending our people to training, so it's stupid not to do it. Everyone comes home with something, and we all start speaking the same language here, states Gert Brandt Petersen and estimates that about 5 million. DKK has been brought home as potential in the first year.
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It must work without instructions for use
At the factories in Ballerup and Hvidovre, the employees have taken the fight against the low-wage countries up, and there has been sport in finding improvements in everyday life. It gives a great satisfaction when it successful.
- Maestro's concept is insanely solid. They know what works both on the managers and on the hourly-paid employees. They can make it work right down on the floor so employees take it up and think it makes sense. And that's actually the whole trick! Maestro conveys something that is easy to use and where the instructions for use have been put away, Gert Brandt Petersen concludes about the collaboration with Maestro.
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Gert Brandt Petersen
"Maestro's concept is insanely solid.
They know what works both on the leaders and
on the hourly-paid employees. They can have it
to work down on the floor, so the employees
takes it up and thinks it makes sense.
And that's actually the whole trick!
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Gert Bandt Petersen,
Executive Vice President
Toms Gruppen A / S
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About Tom's group
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The Toms Group employs approx. 1,200 employees.
The majority of employees work at headquarters in Ballerup.
Toms Gruppen has a turnover of approx. 1.7 billion kr.
Toms has five factories in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Poland.
In Ballerup is Denmark's largest chocolate factory, which produces approx. 15,000 tons of chocolate a year.
At Avedøre Holme is the confectionery factory there produces approx. 10,000 tons per year.