CASE STUDY
Support Programme: Manufacturing Advisory Service
Company Assisted: Monowa Limited
Support Activity: Manufacturing Review
In 2011, Catherine Whelan, the managing director of walls and partitions manufacturer Monowa Limited, decided to take advantage of the funded support available from the Manufacturing Advisory Service. A review of the company's operations by a MAS practitioner revealed two key areas in which immediate improvements could be made and, by acting on them, the company has now created a firm foundation for new growth.
Background:
Monowa Ltd is a UK based market leader in the manufacture, design and installation of moveable walls, vinyl concertina partitions, folding walls and frameless glass wall systems. It has a spacious, modern factory in Macclesfield and office premises in Watford. Its products are used to create flexible working space in offices, hotels, theatres, schools, conference centres and many other environments, and the company works throughout the country with architects and main contractors as well as ceiling and partitioning companies. The business is registered under IS0 9001: 2008 for quality assurance and ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management.
In 2011, the company’s managing director Catherine Whelan received word of the funded support available through the Manufacturing Advisory Service in the North West (MAS-NW). Recently promoted to the position and keen to explore any opportunity to improve the company’s prospects for growth, she decided to take advantage of the offer.
Support Provided:
The process began with a visit from one of Enterprise4All’s MAS Practitioners, Paul Price. Paul is an experienced business consultant with an excellent track record of assisting manufacturing and engineering businesses through an improved focus on issues such as lean manufacturing, production planning and capacity maximisation. The initial diagnostic session with Monowa examined different aspects of the company’s operations and, from this, Paul was able to make a series of recommendations. In particular, he and Catherine directed their attention to the requirement for more clearly specified fitting instructions for certain products, which were sometimes fitted by external contractors, and – as a separate issue – the need for a more robust pricing mechanism that would yield better data for profitability calculations and future strategic planning.
Results:
The production of more comprehensive instructions is a recent development but it is expected to produce substantial benefits in terms of improving the effectiveness of contractors and keeping repeat site visits to a minimum. Likewise, the new pricing model will give the management team a very clear indication of profit margins on each project and this, in turn, will inform decisions about annual operating plans for the next three years.
Managing Director Catherine Whelan’s verdict on the exercise was entirely positive. She said: “I must say that Paul Price was excellent. The whole process has been hugely beneficial for the company and it has given us a lot of ideas for future development.”
For further details, please visit www.monowa.co.uk.
