INVESTMENT IN TRAINING PAYS OFF FOR STANNAH

A Hampshire-based manufacturing company is seeing remarkable returns on its investment in skills training with the help of the National Skills Academy for Manufacturing (the Skills Academy). Renowned for the manufacture of lifts and stairlifts, The Stannah Group has always considered its workforce as one of its most valuable assets and one part of the group is leading the way in the development of a new NVQ qualification in Business Improvement Techniques (B-IT). Based in Andover, Stannah Lifts Limited has taken staff development to the next level thanks to the unique training programme developed by the Skills Academy to meet the company’s specific needs. 10 members of the Stannah Lifts team took part in a pilot programme developed by the Skills Academy and delivered by VT Training, which has itself undergone an intensive up-skilling programme to become an approved Skills Academy training provider. As a result, the company has seen a number of improvements on the shop floor. Graeme Tonks, Manufacturing Manager at Stannah Lifts explains: “We already look set to break our target of reducing work hours per unit by 10 per cent thanks to the training which has equipped staff with the skills they need to identify improvements on the shop floor. “One such improvement has been the development of a Total Preventative Maintenance (TPM) system enabling staff to continually monitor the health of equipment they are using.” Meanwhile, as part of his NVQ, one member of staff has helped to increase sales of spares by 16 per cent by completely re-designed the company’s spares catalogue. The pilot NVQ Level 2 in B-IT was developed by utilising the Skills Academy’s Learning Engine approach that ensures all training is linked to business objectives and that skills learned are put into practice in the workplace. Unlike existing B-IT programmes this revolutionary approach ensures all improvements are focussed on real business priorities. According to the Stannah Lifts Operations Director, Kim Saville, the B-IT programme also fits well with the company’s ethos of staff development. “Continuous improvement runs through the veins of the company and at any one time up to 40 per cent of staff are engaged with some form of training activity,” Kim explains. “However we felt that we had reached something of a ceiling with continuous improvement and we needed new tools to take this to a new level and a qualification that would equip employees with new skills, rather than just recognising the ones they already had. “In terms of adding to the bottom line it is still early days, but we are already seeing improvements in productivity. Just as important, the programme has provided a boost to the morale and confidence of our operational team. ” Kim’s views are shared by Alastair Stannah, Managing Director of Stannah Lifts Ltd, who said the Skills Academy had responded positively to feedback during the pilot. “Overall I’m sure that the resulting programme has helped us to survive the current economic slowdown,” he added. Paul Dawson, South East Regional Manager for the Skills Academy, says Stannah’s achievements reflect the importance of matching training to clearly identified business needs. “We are delighted to be working with such a forward-thinking company that has taken a long-term view when it comes to staff development; as opposed to cutting costs short term and loosing their skill base,” he said. “In 2009 trading conditions have been difficult but Stannah has put any down time to good use and this will make them even stronger once the economic recovery gets underway.” - E N D S –

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