Jack Frank has written an article on his interpretation of the Global State of Operational Excellence Survey Report - Critical Challenges & Future Trends - 2018/2019.  Click here to download the full Survey Report 2018/19.  

The Most Comprehensive Study of Critical Challenges and Future Trends within Operational Excellence

With nearly 1000 respondents, 37 insightful questions, detailed analysis & insights from 40 industry thought leaders, and the BTOES Insights executive team, this 130 page report is recognised as the most comprehensive study of critical challenges and future trends within Operational Excellence, and is considered a key resource for the industry. Areas covered include:

• The Critical Operational Excellence Challenges faced by executives.

• The Current Scope of Operational Excellence.

• How is Operational Excellence success measured?

• Key Findings & Roadblocks.

• What are executives focusing on over the next 12-18 months?

• What have been the greatest developments?

• What are the key drivers pushing change in Operational Excellence?

• Industry Perspectives.

• Small, Medium & Large Corporation Perspectives.

• Detail Analysis & Insights from BTOES Insights Executive Team.

• Detailed Analysis & Insights from 40 Industry Thought Leaders.

• Analysis of key themes, including Cultural Transformation, Customer Delight, Sustaining an Operational Excellence program, Need for end-to-end Business Transformation, Keeping up with new technologies/impact of digitalization and Leadership Buy-in & Understanding.

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The only certainty in business is change

 Being a world class business means not only staying ahead of the curve but pioneering the way things get done. Commitment to being a leader in the industry you are in can be challenging. It means spending resources on research and development, trying things that no one else is doing, taking risks, and embracing failure.  Click here to read the full Survey Report 2018/19. 

Leaders should not make the critical mistake of thinking that their initial plan is a static one.

Leaders need to be flexible, review solutions often, and evolve as needed. Leaders need to keep thinking bigger. T. S. Eliot wrote: “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” To be a real leader in your field requires changing the field whilst still maintaining high standards and customer loyalty.

Loyalty

Loyalty takes a long time to build, can be difficult to measure, and can be costly to invest in, but it can also be a huge advantage in a competitive market. Customer loyalty is more important today than ever before, given the sheer volume of options and level of noise surrounding consumers. Print standardization and an excellent proof-to-press match are a sound basis for building trust between print buyers and printers. Click here to read more Articles on The Global State of Operational Excellence: Critical Challenges & Future Trends - Research Report 2018/19.

WestRock’s MPS

I have been truly fortunate to be part of a world class operation that serves customers all around the globe. WestRock’s MPS is a trusted, global supplier of packaging for the Healthcare, Consumer Branded, and Multi Media industries. WestRock’s MPS strives to consistently deliver packaging to these customers faster, more efficiently, and at a lower cost without sacrificing quality. Color accuracy and quality from the start and through the whole process is key for us (and especially me).

  I am the Color Process Manager for Multi Packaging Solutions North America, which is a WestRock business. I have 25+ years experience in the printing industry, including litho, flexo, and digital printing. Customers expect the colors for their packaging to be consistent and accurate, especially when it comes to their brand. Color plays such an important role, driving consumers’ decisions when choosing between competing products. The color we print is a direct reflection of our customers, so it is extremely important that color management is really dialed in. My team and I implement, manage, and support innovative color management solutions so the product that you see on the shelf consistently looks great.

The only certainty in business is change.

World-class operations must have a culture in place that is open and willing to evolve. It is important to stay in front of quickly advancing technology. Being a leader requires a team that is agile enough to adjust to rapid innovation. Continuous improvement is a priority for MPS. We benchmark successes and use them to perfect our processes. We continuously strive to be better.

  For example, deploying technologies like Extended Gamut printing reduces wash up and set-up time and caters to shorter runs. All of this serves our customers faster without compromising quality, brand recognition, and shelf appeal. At WestRock’s MPS, we strive to use our expertise and knowledge in the field of EG printing to leverage benefits for our customers. Our goal is to drive customer growth, minimize customer risk, lower total cost of the entire product line, and reduce environmental impact. Connecting the dots in the supply chain is key to our success.

Another part of the success for MPS has been really understanding what strengths each location brings to the group and playing to those strengths.

Being fully integrated, we are able to produce work at the location that is able to do it most effectively. The company has strict standards in place to measure performance and control our processes against - so the final product will look the same no matter where it is produced.

Our ideal customer is less tactical and more strategic. They are looking less at the individual piece and more at the big picture. Our customers are global, have product lines that utilize multiple components, and they value innovation.

We strive to be more than just packaging suppliers.

We are partners. We want to be a business partner that looks for optimizations in the supply chain, supports brands with their e-commerce initiatives, and helps our customers get their products from the shop floor to the front door. From design to delivery - our integrated packaging solutions connect people and products.