Small changes lead to big benefits, Western REN says

The Western Regional Enterprise Network has completed a continuous improvement (CI) pilot project with seven of the region’s firms, leading to results that include increased productivity and sales, improved safety, reduced waste and expanded product lines.

CI is an ongoing effort that seeks to increase a firm’s effectiveness and efficiency by improving products, services and/or processes, also known as lean manufacturing.

Western REN CEO Angélique LeBlanc explains that, through their BusinessNow program, workforce quality and availability was identified as a chronic challenge for the region’s employers.

“This is a very complex problem, so we approach it from several angles,” she said. “We support employers in accessing all available talent – both locally and through immigration. We help uncover the region’s hidden job market through our connector program. Finally, we explore the question about whether employers can be more productive with their existing workforce. This last question led us to the continuous improvement pilot program.”

With funding from ACOA, Department of Labour and Advanced Education, private-sector participants, the NS Seafood Alliance, and in partnership with Nova Scotia Business Inc., the Western REN contracted Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) for their extensive CI experience in Atlantic Canada. This one-year pilot led to tangible – and growing – benefits to the participating regional businesses, the majority of which are seafood processors.

Leo Muise, executive director of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, said, “Several of our members participated in this pilot and found it of good value. Member participants found the experience to be informative, leading to everyday improvements in their business procedures, helping them overcome some operational challenges.”

The pilot included training, assessments, action plans and peer learning. Many suggestions for improvements come directly from staff, empowering and motivating people to work as a team. A few individual firm results from the 12-month Western REN’s CI pilot include:

•Reduced transportation waste by 23 per cent, planning to use the savings towards growth.

•Reduced cleaning costs by 48 man-hours per day, redirected labour time into two new product lines.

•Increased profits by 26 per cent by using efficiencies to increase capacity and add value to product lines.

•Increased productivity by nine per cent, or $600,000 in sales, during the pilot.

The success of the Western REN’s CI pilot was a key consideration for ACOA and the province in supporting the roll-out of CME’s manufacturing productivity program to all Nova Scotia. The program consists of a three-phased approach, allowing 32 eligible Nova Scotia manufacturers to achieve business results through implementing continuous improvement. With the program 50 per cent filled, interested companies are encouraged to contact the Western REN for further information and next steps.

“We know that continuous improvement to increase efficiency and performance is critical for Nova Scotia companies to remain competitive in the global marketplace,” said West Nova MP Colin Fraser. “The government of Canada is proud to help the Western Regional Enterprise Network provide handson process improvement coaching and mentoring to local small and medium-sized enterprises.”