Manufacturer says rugby 'Bomb Squad' also works on the factory floor
Cape Union Mart decided to set up their own ‘Bomb Squad’ -- a term more commonly associated with the Springbok reserve bench and used to great effect during the last Rugby World Cup.
Unlike the Springbok Bomb Squad, the Cape Union Mart version was set up to tackle problems not players. The company assembled its Bomb Squad team, utilising the most talented team members, who can operate any machine or sew any garment to break production bottlenecks and get the ‘game’ flowing.
“We had a lot of success with our Bomb Squad,” company supply chain head Andy Thorvalsden said at the event. “It was a shift in our work culture.”
In the rugby context, a ‘Bomb Squad’ refers to a group of talented players (typically forwards) injected into the latter part of a game to bolster team performance. The factory ‘Bomb Squad’ functions in a similar way, allowing a more efficient use of resources and concentrating effort in areas where it was required, Thorvalsden said. “By introducing that approach, we learnt that it is absolutely amazing what people will achieve for us when leaders demonstrate our belief in them. Production log jams are quickly resolved and garments flow off the line faster and at better quality.”
The company has forged ahead with another innovation: a design centre that allows designers and product buyers to work closely together: “We are improving our speed to market and giving our customers the products they want by having a design led approach to retail and manufacturing. Breaking down the silos and improving the collaboration between retail, design and manufacturing teams gives us an edge over our competitors.”
The design-led manufacturing approach was one of the reasons behind the firm’s success, Thorvalsden said.
Looking ahead, he said engineering skills and digital technology were key to continued growth. “In 2018 we had 330 people in manufacturing. We’ve now got 720.. And the opportunity is definitely there to further grow employment by improving our productivity and competitively manufacturing products that are currently imported.”
Jacques Moolman
President of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry