Monday November 25th, 2019
On Thursday 14th November, Adelphi attended the ceremony for the TMMX Awards, run by The Manufacturer. We were honoured to be shortlisted in the Operational Excellence category, and our Director Francisco Neto was shortlisted as one of the top 5 Young Manufacturers of the Year.
The Operational Excellence entry focused on our ISO 9001:2015 certification, which was achieved in the past year. We showed how we meet and exceed expectations in the following areas:
Customer Needs
Adelphi Group company Adelphi Masterfil created their newest System F range with customer requirements at the forefront of their concerns. In advance of the design and build, existing Adelphi customers were contacted and asked what improvements they would ideally love to see in filling machinery; they were sent a formal survey about their machinery wish-lists to provide quantifiable feedback, as well as being invited with an open-ended question to discuss their requirements in detail.
Our product and manufacturing process developments are able to be tailored to the needs of each specific customer, and we often undertake bespoke design work and modifications to our standard machines. Our highly ranking Trustpilot account, testimonials page and Case Studies show that customers believe the Adelphi name to be synonymous with a highly customer-orientated service. Long-term client LittlePod described recently how Adelphi “monitored our company growth, and recommended machines accordingly, making sure we didn’t overstretch our resources”.
Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement is a core part of our operations and company ethos. The Adelphi Group of Companies mission statement includes the pledge “to continually develop our products and systems, and embrace positive change”. Members of staff at all levels are actively encouraged to communicate ideas for improvement, via our Quality Portal and Quality Management System (QMS).
Waste
At the Adelphi Group of Companies, we are committed to addressing and improving waste in both our premises and processes, and this is ingrained within our company culture. We have a conscious drive of everyday recycling awareness among staff, with posters and recycling bins throughout the premises, taking our recycling of cardboard above 95% every month. In 2018 we partnered with Sodastream, investing in two of their machines, which has drastically reduced purchases of single-uses bottles of fizzy drink amongst staff.
Our dedicated Estates Director Chris Bedford is constantly alert for new opportunities to reduce waste. We recycle plastic, metal and glass wherever possible, and we exchange offcuts of stainless steel from our machines at the local scrapyard. A local recycling company called Shredded Neat collect our waste cardboard and plastic. Biffa also collect our recycled card, cans and plastic bottles generated by staff food consumption. We also proactively ensure that we are disposing of customers’ products (used in machine testing) in an ecologically sound manner, at our own expense.
People
The Adelphi Group Values Pledge states that we will “nurture the next generation, appreciate our colleagues and reward excellence”, and our Corporate Mission includes the promise to “provide secure and satisfying employment opportunities”. We have an extensive history of nurturing and developing apprentices, including Lauren, who has passed her Level 2 Diploma in Business Administration. After she subsequently showed a keen interest in accounting, the role of Accounts Assistant was created specifically for her, and she is now excelling in her AAT exams and growing in confidence daily. Lauren recently commented that “throughout my apprenticeship at Adelphi, the support and guidance I was given led me to gain the skills and knowledge to set me on a career path I never thought I would be capable of”. Lauren is currently shortlisted for Apprentice of the Year at the Made in the South East Awards.
Lean Production
Lean production principles are critical to our company ethos, and we are constantly evaluating and re-evaluating how to streamline costs and processes. Group company Adelphi Manufacturing have adopted a process of manufacturing machines in batches, to decrease our expenditure on parts and shipping, and to improve the delivery lead times for customers. Our manufacturing process follows the Cell Production format, with teams from Design/Engineering, Controls and Automation, Machine Fitting, Electrical Fitting, Testing, etc working side by side in a time and energy efficient manner.
Equipment
The building of our new production facility, The Friary, has added many features which provide major improvements to manufacturing operations. The space is occupied by a large machine hall with space for twelve more machine builds at any one time than was possible previously, ensuring that more customer orders can be satisfied. The Friary houses a large Weld Shop where machine frames are constructed, and a new dedicated clean area. Our new Machine Shop, including lathe and mill, allows us to manufacture more parts for inclusion in the machines ourselves; a new machinist has now been employed full time. This has meant significant improvements to lead times for parts; previously we would quote 4-6 weeks for nozzles, and now they are made and shipped within 1 week.
We are recognised among our peers and clients as not just leaders but innovators, and won two awards for our most recently released machinery; Adelphi Masterfil’s ‘System F’ range. System F-1800 was Highly Commended in the Innovative Process/Packaging Machinery category at the PPMA awards after its release in 2016, and System F-600 was awarded the same prize in 2018. Many of our machines feature innovative patented design features; the F-600 is uses a patented cylinder valve design, with patent pending for the nozzle. It also boasts a significantly greater filling accuracy of +/- 0.1-0.15%, compared to the industry standard of +/- 0.25-0.5%, which reduces product waste and improves the rate of return of investment for our customers, giving us a competitive edge when selling.
We are thrilled to have been recognised for elevating our standards to this degree, and a very positive ISO audit in Spring 2019, with a low level of non-conformances, shows that the whole company has committed to maintaining and even exceeding these standards. Our company culture has evolved to include ISO compliant processes and procedures as standard, and this new mind-set is evident across all areas of our business. Even with this accolade, we remain committed to continuous improvement, and this forms an integral part of our company ethos, recognised in our public Value and Mission Statements.
