02-06-2013, 08:39 AM
In the early 90s, I managed the turnaround and subsequent growth of a company that built HUGE metering systems for the North Sea oil & gas production platforms. To be able to shoehorn the package into a limited space, much lateral thinking had to be applied. The chaps on the shop floor had previously been "ruled" and had no ability for free-thinking. In changing that, I stressed that we had no problems, only opportunities to think out something that was holding us back.
This worked extremely well, until the day the charge-hand welder came to me and said, "Colin, we have an insurmountable opportunity".
Do you know what? He was right!
The main point was that, over 3 years, we managed to triple output with the same staff numbers and the same shop floor space to £20m a year at today's prices. Everyone, from top to bottom, including the family that owned the company, benefited from the result of that free, lateral, thinking.
Colin
PS - we eventually solved the insurmountable opportunity by lopping a foot off a 42 inch diameter header pipe. British Gas (Morecambe Bay) got their package on time, and to spec.
This worked extremely well, until the day the charge-hand welder came to me and said, "Colin, we have an insurmountable opportunity".
Do you know what? He was right!
The main point was that, over 3 years, we managed to triple output with the same staff numbers and the same shop floor space to £20m a year at today's prices. Everyone, from top to bottom, including the family that owned the company, benefited from the result of that free, lateral, thinking.
Colin
PS - we eventually solved the insurmountable opportunity by lopping a foot off a 42 inch diameter header pipe. British Gas (Morecambe Bay) got their package on time, and to spec.
