Operation as usual during mobilisation with new waste management contractor

SUEZ and the manufacturer planned a short period of eight weeks to fully mobilise the contract and ensure the required infrastructure was in place and delivered with no disruptions to the vehicle production lines during roll-out.

Approximately 3,400 employees operate from the 370 acre plot with over 700 cars produced every day - about one every 90 seconds. The actions onsite produce a total of 66 waste streams, 34 different general wastes and 32 hazardous, resulting in an annual waste volume of approximately 3,400 tonnes.

In order to meet the short timescales, SUEZ assigned a dedicated operations manager to oversee the mobilisation. The manager was seconded on site for the majority of the eight week mobilisation period and supported by a collaborative team from key areas within SUEZ including operations; management; trading; health, safety and environment; hazardous waste; and administration.

A bespoke Gantt chart was designed and implemented specifically for the needs of the site to direct and focus priorities. Consistent presence allowed the manager to learn about the existing processes and requirements, increasing visibility of changeover on site.

As part of the process, weekly meetings were held between the manufacturers purchasing, safety and environment teams and SUEZ to ensure visibility of progress and updates on any issues. This open communication eased roll-out requirements as any decisions requiring authorisation were quick and queries were resolved efficiently.

During mobilisation, it was found that the age of the equipment on site presented challenges as it was inefficient and needed replacing. Some of this equipment has been upgraded and new systems and machinery introduced, has resulted in savings and efficient working.

An additional benefit established throughout this period is that changes were implemented to improve health and safety measures on site. This has involved behaviour change by all site staff to adapt their working procedures to support the introduction and continuation of lean principles and 5S to assist with site efficiencies.

The mobilisation team received positive feedback from the purchasing team regarding the smooth delivery of the contract mobilisation, with no operational impact on the proceeding month's car production.