Severn raises the bar on business process efficiency

Bethan Abram

Continual improvement initiatives implemented at Severn over the past 18 months are having a significant positive impact on efficiency and effectiveness. The business has reduced lead times and achieved higher levels of customer satisfaction as well as boosting staff morale. Going forward, the business is taking steps to build on this success in a purposeful way to take business performance to a higher level.

Following a recent promotion to Group Head of Business Process Improvement, Bethan Abram is responsible for driving positive change throughout the business. She is leading Severn’s efforts to transform ways of working as we look to reduce waste and further improve outcomes for our customers.

A central aspect of this is supporting business units in the adoption and implementation of lean principles to deliver, and continually enhance, value to our customers.

As we begin the next phase of Severn’s lean journey, staff in Brighouse, Gloucester and Aberdeen will participate in Lean Six Sigma training programmes. Widely considered one of the most effective methodologies for refining business processes, Six Sigma focuses on developing a culture of continuous improvement. At a practical level, it offers tools and techniques to reduce variance, eliminate defects and aid root cause analysis. Ultimately, it’s about creating better products and services for Severn’s customers.

Bethan explains: “Everything we’re doing is geared towards empowering business unit teams to identify areas where improvements can be made, then take decisive action. When we all take small steps to do things better, the benefits quickly accumulate. This helps drive better customer experiences, a better commercial proposition and a better work environment for everyone.”

Bethan, who is based at Severn’s Gloucester facility, will train for the Lean Six Sigma black belt along with colleagues in Brighouse and Aberdeen. Several other colleagues will work on their yellow belt qualifications. The wider continuous improvement teams at each of the three facilities will receive general training on lean principles and the 5S system for organising workspaces.

These developments align with Lean Six Sigma activity already underway at Severn’s subsea business Bentley. It also builds on some excellent initiatives that the Aberdeen facility implemented last year where several workspaces benefited from lean ‘A3 Thinking’.