THE UK’s longest-operating manufacturer, supplier and importer of ceramic tiles has joined forces with Aston University in a Management Knowledge Transfer Partnership (mKTP).
Shropshire-based Craven Dunnill, which has been in business for over 150 years, has a large and complex supply chain, both of finished tiles and of the raw materials for manufacturing. Its customers are consumers, merchants, property developers, bathroom and kitchen retailers, in addition to architectural and building communities.
A KTP is a three-way collaboration between a business, an academic partner and a highly qualified researcher, known as a KTP associate. The UK-wide programme helps businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills. Aston University is a sector leading KTP provider, with 80% of its completed projects being graded as very good or outstanding by Innovate UK, the national body. An mKTP focuses specifically on increasing effectiveness and improving results through better management practices.
The company wants to fully streamline and digitise its processes and practices, including ordering, purchasing, stock and warehouse management, as well as delivery planning and sales tracking. It would also see the company’s different business divisions integrated.
Developing an accurate real-time warehouse management system is a key part of the project as, currently, different production batches vary slightly in colour and size, making it crucial not to mix them when fulfilling orders.
The company is working with Aston University’s Professor Ben Clegg and Dr Gajanan Panchal (academic lead and supervisor) from Aston Business School. Professor Clegg, a professor of operations management, has pioneered a successful methodology called Process Oriented Holonic Modelling (PrOH Modelling), a way of fully engaging employees in organisational change using systems modelling and storyboarding, that will be used to help Craven Dunnill’s employees to guide and implement new processes. Dr Panchal specialises in logistics and supply chain management, including warehouse management and optimisation. He uses a variety of approaches to comprehend and analyse problems with warehousing operations.
Completing the team in the KTP associate position is Dr Olanrewaju Sanda, who has started analysing the issues in the warehouse including the data around inventory accuracy and stock selection. Working closely with management and the Aston University team, he will digitalise operational systems. Part of this will include building a digital dashboard to represent the factory and move it towards a ‘digital twin’.
See page 12 of our April/May 2024 issue on our Back Issues page.
