CASE STUDY

Concrib is a Brisbane-based company providing earth stabilization solutions, erosion control and retaining systems to projects Australia-wide and offshore.

The Challenge

CONCRIB wanted to increase supply to state-funded road projects, however new regulations required CONCRIB to be third party certified to ISO 9001 and TMR72. Their challenge was to obtain certification by engaging all staff members and without increasing operating expense.

The Solution

Transfirm worked with CONCRIB staff to develop a visual online management system that reduced paperwork and streamlined production activities. The system automated many tedious activities and moved paper-based activities such as audits, quality checks and training records into online forms and data. Data once hidden in paper-work became available to provide real-time feedback to production management and quickly populate reports to directors. The system was built around how CONCRIB operated, rather than trying to shoehorn CONCRIB into a system. In this way, people remained engaged and were able to comply to the standards with minimal changes to work practices.

Critical Success Factors

The directors of CONCRIB took responsibility for achieving the outcomes and took a personal interest in the project. Both CONCRIB and Transfirm had clarity on the strategic outcomes of the project and communicated this regularly. Everyone agreed to take a team-based, collaborative approach to the implementation.

The Goals

The goals were to be the most trusted supplier to the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and to simplify operational management. Further, CONCRIB wanted a management system that would support  increased production output, and be certified to ISO 9001 by SAI GLOBAL.

The Process

The process used was ‘Discovery’ to understand the current situation, followed by ‘Scoping’ to be clear on what we were going to change and what we were not. ‘Implementation’ commenced using a team-based approach, followed by a full ‘Review and Sign-off’ that the outcomes were achieved.

The Results

The team achieved third party certification and built upon a high level of trust with their clients, including TMR. The CONCRIB team went on to break all previous records of production volumes and cost per part. The directors observed a significant improvement in teamwork and the online management system is central to running the operations of the business. The project provided a fast return on investment.

Dennis Lazzarin
Operations Manager – Concrib