The Xplor View - October 2008 - (Page 9)

Improving business practices yields award winning business performance DSTi Output has been the UK’s leading TransPromo specialist for the last seven years. It is well known for its ability to use full colour and variability to produce one-to-one communications. Many clients have taken advantage of this unique solution enabling them to better target their customers and improve their response rates. DSTi Output is also equally well known for its quality, service, and innovation. It delivers Six Sigma quality and 100 percent service levels to its clients. It has managed to deliver this outstanding service while at the same time increasing capacity and improving profits. It has achieved this by putting the client at the core of its business. DSTi Output has an almost fanatical obsession with clients and how it can improve the service it provides to them. A major contributor to this award winning business performance has been its Lean programme. Started in 2006 by Tony Hall, a Board Director at DSTi Output, Lean has been the cornerstone of the company’s ambitious improvement programme. Tony was recruited by Tim Delahay, DSTi Output’s Chief Executive Officer, to ensure that the Lean programme would receive the maximum chance of success and Board level focus. Tim says “We decided that if the programme was to be successful then we needed a seasoned professional to head it up who could work with all stakeholders and had the necessary Lean experience, and Tony was ideally suited to this role.” The Lean programme is overseen by a steering committee who meets monthly to discuss priorities and monitor delivery of improvements. Lean is also an agenda item at the monthly Board meetings, ensuring it always has the necessary focus and support from the Board downwards. Before starting its Lean programme, DSTi Output consulted with all stakeholders including employees, clients, and shareholders. It was recognised from day one that stakeholder involvement would be the key component for a successful programme. A road show to all staff quickly followed to explain the Lean initiative, its objectives, and ensure buy-in throughout the business. As part of the road show it was made clear that for Lean to be successful it needed staff and client involvement and that staff need not be concerned about participating. A Lean blog was set up along with a monthly newsletter and suggestion scheme. The importance of regular communication was well understood from the outset. The road show emphasized two important points about the Lean programme that addressed staff concerns: • Lean is not about blaming people • Lean is not about eliminating people Businesses that fail in successfully implementing Lean often do so at the first stage. They typically fail to allocate a senior resource to manage and direct the programme, usually delegating responsibility to a lower level manager in the organisation. Businesses that have had success with Lean nearly always have the programme sponsored by the CEO with a senior Director responsible for driving it forward. Another common mistake made in those critical early months is that staff are left confused about the purpose of the Lean initiative, believing it is about cutting costs, benefits, or worse still—headcount. Lack of clarity in this early phase will often lead to staff resistance later. Unfortunately the situation is made more difficult by some of the negative press on Lean where a programme may have led to job losses and petty rules. As with any change programme, open and honest communications are key success factors. 9 Issue 6 October 2008 The VIEW Journal Xplor European Edition

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Xplor View - October 2008

The Xplor View -� October 2008 Contents TPE Master Class: Three Ways to Tame your Print-to-Mail Workflow Right Now Mission Impossible: Embracing Environmental Concerns TPE Master Class: Implementing a Lean Working Environment Improving Business Processes Yields Award-Winning Business Performance How Do� You Effectively Win New Business Writing a Marketing Plan to Win New Printing Clients How Buying Strategies Have Affected How the Industry Sells Let's Talk About Integrated Customer Communications Management:�Transpromo...It Takes a Village! Knowledge Management Part 3 XDU: Leading the Education Revolution Kodak plus Xplor equals XDU Around the World Xplor Europe News:�Short News Items for the Xplor UK�Programme and Europe News

The Xplor View - October 2008

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