www.highwaysmagazine.co.uk Staying lean


A Highways Agency lean event that was hosted by A-One+ took place at Pontefract Racecourse in West Yorkshire last month. Alec Peachey reports


Aimed specifi cally towards Highways Agency managing agent contractors, asset support contract service providers and those interested in lean construction – the event set out to inform attendees about ways of doing more with less.


Attendees heard about the Highways Agency lean strategy, plans and expectations both internally and within the supply chain with examples of lean excellence.


Speakers at the event included Derek Drysdale, Highways Agency lean director, who gave a presentation entitled ‘Lean within the Highways Agency and its supply chain’.


The Highway’s Agency’s lean improvement division was established in 2009 and is headed up by Drysdale.


He talked about how the Agency is working with its supply chain partners and the HA’s move towards becoming a publicly owned company.


He told attendees: “You’re probably aware that from 2015 the Highways Agency is going to become a government company. That’s a huge step forward. Our strap line at the moment for our change initiative is ‘one team, one agenda, fi t for the future’.


“A step change is required. To become a government company there are three things to discuss within the Agency that we feel explain where we need to be as an organisation. The fi rst one is to develop a mile a minute network. That might sound easy to say, but it is very hard to do.


“There should be no unplanned disruption on the network, which is another signifi cant challenge. Finally, make the network safe and sustainable for our customers and communities.”


Drysdale acknowledged that there is a lot of work to do between now and 2015.


He added: “We feel that there is a cultural change required within the Agency. The great thing about lean is that it does help change cultures.”


The lean director also talked about the importance of collaborative planning, which is a way of ensuring team based planning is undertaken at scheme level. It involves agreement of a common plan, the pooling of time buffers, delivery to promise, analysis of reasons for failure and corrective action planning.


Deploying lean


A-One+ is the leading service provider for the Highways Agency, supporting them to help customers with their journeys on England’s strategic road network. The company is currently the Highways Agency’s service provider for Area 7; East Midlands, Area 12; Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire and Area 14; North East.


Andrew Jamieson, managing director of A-One+, gave a presentation entitled ‘Experience and benefi ts from deployment of lean principles’.


The company has worked extensively with the Highways Agency in this area and Jamieson acknowledged that there is a need to “manage lean carefully”.


He said: “There’s a lot of terminology to take on board. That can be a turn off because people get confused about the language. There are a lot of applications where we can actually make effi ciencies and transfer the benefi ts to every process that we do.


“We invested a lot in lean training and started with 42 lean champions in senior management. Around 170 staff have got lean practicioner training. People go on the training and then start to use the tools they’ve learnt on small projects. My experience with lean deployment is that it starts slowly and then more people start using it. Nothing gets your


Andrew Jamieson, managing director of A-One+


APRIL 2014


Derek Drysdale, Highways Agency lean director


attention as a managing director more than cash effi ciencies. I think we’re currently standing at £8 million worth of realised benefi ts. That really gets the attention of the management and directors of the business as well as the Highways Agency.


“More success equals better forecasting. The one common thing I hear is that we need to improve our forecasting. This is something that’s really important to the HA as well as my business because there’s an awful lot of waste that arrives out of bad planning and poor utilisation.”


Jamieson also talked about the importance of engaging staff and summed up by saying: “I think in the next fi ve years lean will be a big part of the way we do business going forward. It is important to learn how to do it properly. You need consultancy support, in-house skills and leadership is key. There can be a lot of scrutiny on the Highways Agency and its supply chain in terms of value for money and customer satisfaction, but there’s never been a greater need to do it.”


Attendees also heard from Peter Knowles, lean deployment manager at A-One+, and Neal Symmons, Highways Agency lean technical manager.


For further information on lean email AoneLeanteam@aone.uk.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64