Rigorous quality assurance methodologies from the automotive sector are set to be a game-changer at Anglo, the company has reported. And it’s the customer who ultimately wins. We report.
From the recent launch of its own-branded galvanised steel for window and door reinforcement to a £multi-million investment in the UK’s most advanced roll forming line, quality assurance is front and centre of Anglo’s product and service offering.
Gaining IS0 9001 – the globally recognised standard for quality – last year, the Manchester-based steel roll-forming specialist has gone one step further in its commitment to continuous improvement by appointing a new manufacturing operations manager.
Having spent more than three decades in the automotive and aerospace manufacturing sectors, where attention to detail and quality are paramount to safeguard life, Andrew Hall brings a unique insight that poses a significant asset to Anglo, the company reported.
“One of the reasons I hired Andrew Hall is because of his background in Tier 2 automotive and the expertise he brings in that area,” managing director David Evans says.
“That’s a game-changer for Anglo because we’ve gained an uncompromising approach to quality that didn’t exist before.”
With quality assurance a critical aspect of the automotive industry, rigorous testing, inspection and control processes are a crucial part of product manufacture throughout the sector, ensuring that vehicles and parts are safe and reliable.
While keen to leverage his automative expertise and imbed these systems and procedures into daily life at Anglo, Andrew stresses that they can only be effective with full engagement from staff.
“Quality must be number one,” Andrew says. “We need to make sure we have the processes and metrics in place to consistently deliver a product that we’re proud of, and our customers are happy with.”
To achieve this, Andrew says that engagement with the people on the shop floor is imperative, highlighting the importance of motivation and a strong team-work ethic that fosters accountability.
“Ensuring that operatives enjoy their work and making them aware of the role they each play in our day-to-day operations is essential to ensure the success of the business going forward,” he says.
As part of his effort to double-down on quality assurance, Andrew has introduced day-by-hour checks to ensure that each Anglo product is designed according to the specification and drawings.
“Currently, we have day-by-hour sheets in place, to confirm that the products we produce are in spec,” Andrew says. “Each and every operator is now required to do hourly checks, from the start of the shift to the end. This all helps to ensure that the customer gets their product on time and to the right specification.”
With metrics a significant tool to monitor and improve quality, Andrew has also introduced a new production system board to capture data from every area of the business. Covering aspects including health and safety, on-time-in-full (otif) delivery, absenteeism, productivity and overtime, a color-coded chart indicates performance against daily targets, which are then reviewed in daily production meetings.
“Talking about the previous day’s productivity and any quality issues, or shortages, means we maintain communication and reinforce that critical engagement with everybody on the shop floor,” Andrew says. “We’ve also implemented monthly briefs, so the entire Anglo team understands how we’re performing on a month-by-month basis.
With an objective to uphold safety standards, improve productivity, and enhance the customer experience, Andrew reports that positive trends are already emerging from his initiatives.
“I’m pleasantly surprised at how quickly the team have adapted to the production system board,” he says. “It’s already driving through improvements, and we’re seeing dramatic changes in terms of increased productivity, higher quality and better housekeeping. Our absence rates and overtime costs are also reducing, all within a very short space of time.
“Since implementing these metrics, our otif score has notably increased from 88% to 96%, with a target of 98% for the year. Ultimately, all these things translate to a better service for our customers.”
With an aim to standardise housekeeping throughout the factory, Andrew has introduced a ‘5S’ methodology. Monitored by weekly internal audits that encourage healthy competition in each department, strengthening operative engagement, the five Ss stand for ‘sort’, ‘set in order’, ‘shine’, ‘standardise’ and ‘sustain’.
“It’s an integral part of ISO 9001,” Andrew says, “and it means we can maintain a more consistent level of cleanliness and, in turn, productivity throughout each department.”
Andrew’s appointment forms part of Anglo’s mission to raise standards, within its own operations and across the entire industry. As well as ISO 9001 accreditation, efforts to foster trust and transparency include AngloGalv, Anglo’s own-brand of BS EN 10346-accredited galvanized steel and its £multi-million double-sided CNC line – the most advanced roll-forming line in the UK, the company says.
Other initiatives offered by the manufacturer include a free galvanised coating-thickness meter loan scheme, allowing fabricators to confirm the average zinc coating thickness on the steel reinforcement they buy. Designed to banish ‘mistrust and doubt’ over steel reinforcement products matching specification, the scheme is available to all fabricators, regardless of whether they buy their steel reinforcement from Anglo or not.
Andrew’s unique perspective, leveraged from his automotive experience, is already reinforcing the company’s previous efforts to raise standards and setting a path to a quality assurance revolution at Anglo, the company says.
“We have massive potential to improve as a business,” he says. “Before, we didn’t have any metrics, and now we’ve got them across the board.
“I’ve already learned that it doesn’t take much for customers to want to change supplier in this industry, and on that basis, it’s essential that we keep quality, cost, and delivery under tight scrutiny.
“It’s about giving our customers confidence in our product and service offering and demonstrating that we are in full control of what we do. That can only be a good thing, for us and for them.”