It is now two years since Denholm Rees & O’Donnell and C E Edwards began making changes to more closely integrate operations across both companies and sites.
The value of having two separate locations offering distinct areas of specialist expertise and equipment is something we firmly believe in, and which our customer feedback supports. But as Denholms and C E Edwards evolved and grew, individually and together, it became apparent that there is much to be gained from a more unified approach.
The sister companies have always worked side by side from their bases an hour apart in Aintree and Stoke-on-Trent, but since 2014 the management team has been taking steps to put that partnership on a concrete foundation. This was done with great care not to lose the flexibility the existing set-up offered clients, and was already having a clear impact on efficiency across the board.
Gaining from expert insights
Keen to build on these positive moves and conscious that there is always more that can be done in any business and that sometimes an outside perspective can brings insights that aren’t easily seen from within, Denholms and C E Edwards enlisted external support from the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) last summer.
The MAS forms part of the Business Growth Service, which, until the end of November 2015, was a Government-backed initiative providing expert support to businesses with strong potential to improve and grow.
Further integration
Following a successful programme with the MAS, the need was highlighted for a more cohesive offering across the two sites at management level, further enhancing efficiency throughout and enabling both Denholms and C E Edwards to deliver an even better, streamlined and tailored service to customers, whatever their requirements.
Joined-up strategy for the future
To this end, improvements have been and will continue to be made to internal processes and systems, and both companies are fully committed to ongoing progression of this strategy into the future. This includes frequent reassessment of exactly where the focus needs to be as the market, technology, client needs and other factors change.
The more integrated approach has made it easier to identify initial areas for investment, reorganisation or adjustment. Recent enhancements made for the good of the overall business and the service it can offer include the purchase of extremely specialised high-end Morando and SACEM machinery, a restructuring of the shop floor with dedicated goods inwards and more, and the transfer of some equipment to C E Edwards to boost capability on its Stoke site.
