Lean effort creates noticeable results at Solar
In spite of the financial crisis, the implementation of Lean as a leading culture continues in the Solar Group with headquarters in Kolding. It is about changing people and habits before developing the tools for this purpose.
And as a result of the great Lean effort and the noticeable results, Solar is now given DI’s productivity award 2010.
The Lean culture increases efficiency and job satisfaction in the organisation and ensures improved deliveries and service for the customers. And already, the Lean project has created remarkable results in several areas, as employees and managers during a short period of time have managed to change their work processes and personal commitment.
The company’s ability to create value for the customers has increased significantly. Already after the first year, measurements show that because of the Lean education’s focus on combining leadership and tools, a culture has been created at record speed where openness, learning, vision and taking responsibility is of high importance for the individual employee.
In cooperation with Solar, TNS-SIFO has developed a system for measuring the employees’ and the organisation’s ability to create value for the customers. And the latest employee survey shows that the implementation of Lean has contributed to the fact that employees to a much greater extent independently involve themselves in the solving of day-to-day problems. In 2007, only 38 percent found that their colleagues took responsibility/initiative when problems arose. In 2009, this number has increased significantly to 63 per cent.
- This is a natural consequence of the strengthened environment for openness and change as well as the learning resulting from the Lean process. And these are exactly the main elements in Lean that contribute to the employees being able to deliver the prerequisite for experienced customer value: fast reaction time and quality, says Søren Engelhardt, Account Director, TNS-SIFO.
TNS-SIFO carries out 450,000 global employee interviews every year among others for Ericsson, Securitas and IKEA, and at Solar, Corporate HR Director Heidrun Marstein is happy that the technical wholesaler stands out in a positive way.
- An improved and more efficient work culture with committed employees brings more value to the customers in their doing business with Solar in the form of more efficient and improved service and higher quality in the deliveries, Heidrun Marstein points out.
The strategy for Solar’s management has focused on the role as manager changing from the manager being the expert that has answers to all the questions and knows all the details, to it now being the role of the manager to act as a coach on the sideline. The manager must create results through others. This can be done by asking the employees questions and not giving the answers. It is up to the employees to find solutions. This motivates and creates commitment.
In cooperation with the Lean organisation established in 2007, the group’s HR department has carried out this competence development. This cooperation has been crucial for the project getting off to such a good start, and the focus has been on openness, strengths and weaknesses as well as team spirit and commitment. The goal is for all employees in Solar to work with Lean in 2010 and for the full effect to have an impact from 2012.
Contact persons
Solar:
HR and leadership: Heidrun R. Marstein, Corporate HR Director – mobile +45 4034 2902.
Lean culture and Lean tools: Klaus Petersen, Lean Management Coordinator – mobile +45 4034 2848
Press contact: Charlotte Risskov Kræfting, Corporate IR & Communications Manager – mobile +45 4034 2908
TNS SIFO:
Verification of measurements and results: Søren Engelhardt, Account Director – mobile +45 2819 5242
Solar A/S (previously Aktieselskabet Nordisk Solar Compagni) was established in 1919 and listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange in 1953. Solar is one of Northern Europe’s leading technical wholesalers within electrical articles, heating, plumbing and ventilation products. The group has its head office in Kolding and subsidiaries in Denmark incl. the Faroe Islands, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland. Solar is Denmark’s 41st largest company measured in revenue and employs a total of 3000 employees. At 29 per cent of total staff, Denmark is the country with most Solar people, while the Netherlands is now the largest foreign entity with 24 per cent of total staff.
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