Is there a better way of working?

There are enough power tools lining the walls of Amec's Continuous Process Improvement Centre to put a B&Q superstore to shame. Electric drills, cordless screwdrivers, angle grinders - even battery operated wire cutters sit on display. As he guides me around the centre, Ron Haldane, head of quality assurance for Amec, explains how every major tool manufacturer sends in products. "We need to know what the best tools are and the only way to do that is by assessing what's on the market."

There are products here from all around the world, mostly supplied through Amec's supply chain partners, or companies who want to get onto that chain - but some are also tracked down from leads in magazines such as New Scientist. Some are fresh on the market, like the new generation of handheld tools that use lithium ion battery technology, while others haven't yet made it to the UK. A handful are still in research and development, sent in for trialling by manufacturers keen to get feedback.

And it's not just tools, there are mock-ups of entire systems on show - for example, specially developed telescopic risers, plug-and-play plumbing, cable containment systems and even an entire prison cell, complete with window bars and fully fitted shower and toilet facilities.

The centre is all part of Amec's business improvement programme. Set up in 2001, it is the brainchild of Haldane - whose job it is to make sure that Amec keeps ahead of the game by continuallly improving the way it works. That means lowering capital costs, shortening build times, reducing defects and eliminating accidents. "Put simply, what we do for £1 this year we must strive to do for 90p next year without compromising quality, safety, reliability or environmental performance," he explains.

At the heart of this programme is what Haldane calls business process improvement. "You will only be the best if you use the best - that means the best tools, products and techniques. The real problem is that innovation is slow to reach the construction industry, so what we do is work closely with the supply chain and look for improvements."

Areas for improvement

Amec looks at four key areas. The first is productivity - essentially finding faster ways to install services that hopefully require less skill and will ultimately lead to reduced costs. The second is quality - here, Amec is trying to find products with reduced ‘defect potential'. The cable containment system is a typical example of this: only two fixings are needed to join any two pieces of tray together. No screws, bolts or nuts are required. "It's either right or else it falls apart. You can't go wrong with it, it eliminates the potential for defects," Haldane observes.

The third area is safety. Whereas inductions, toolbox talks and poster campaigns aim to prevent accidents, under Continuous Process Improvement, Amec wants to eliminate the risk altogether. "Rather than have people falling off step ladders. we asked whether there was a better method we could use. The answer was the podium steps we helped to develop," Haldane explains.

The final area is environmental; essentially the reduction of waste and materials wherever possible through less packaging, reduced scrap and using locally sourced materials.

All the product testing takes place at the Centre. As well as getting workers in to look at and assess products, Amec also holds roadshows where it takes tools and products out to site for trials at the sharp end. "Getting feedback from end-users is very important," says Haldane. "Especially when it comes to roll-out time as we've then got the peer pressure of the men on site to ensure these things are adopted - it's not some guy in a suit saying ‘you should be using that tool.'"

The whole improvement process is based on the Deming plan-do-check-act cycle. "We plan in order to identify where improvement opportunities lies; then we do, which is the trialling and measuring; followed by checking to evaluate the savings; and finally we act, which is when we implement the new tool, product or technique," Haldane explains.

A CPI directive takes the form of a simple A4 sheet of paper listing the benefits and applications of the tool, process or product, which is given to key members of the workforce. Before this is issued, a final check is carried out to make sure any new tools or techniques comply with safety requirements, while any materials or products undergo a compliance test to ensure they meet with current standards.

As well as being the base for product development, the Centre is where the organisational learning element of the programme takes place. "It's pointless having that knowledge if we don't spread it around, so the organisational learning is all about getting that knowledge out to our workforce and our business stakeholders," says Haldane.

Amec's own staff are among the regular visitors, along with supply chain partners eager to demonstrate new products - there's currently a three-week waiting list. Engineering product selection meetings, client seminars and workshops also take place among the displays. After all, it is only by showing project teams and clients the type of products that are available that these improvements will be introduced into projects and their benefits realised. n