This three day workshop, led by Dr Ted Hutchin, is the logical step after implementing any of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) applications. It moves beyond the bottlenecks and scheduling issues usually associated with TOC and focuses on developing a TOC-focused business strategy. The workshop is followed by two days in your plant with support and coaching to you and your team based on the changes you develop during the time in class.

For many people, implementing one of the TOC applications such as Drum-Buffer–Rope, or Critical Chain in multi-project environments, means that at some time the constraint will move. In this workshop, you will deal with the issue of what to do when that happens, indeed to anticipate when it will happen and develop a strategy in readiness for that moment.

Many people do not realize the heart of TOC is not about maximizing the constraint, but about choosing where it should be in the first place. Dr Hutchin himself learned this when working with Intel back in 1993 and it revolutionised his approach to TOC.

So in this workshop, you will deal with the broader issues of managing an enterprise the TOC way in order to synchronize, not just the resources, but the whole business.

Over the three days in class you will be addressing the following questions, and more:

• How can you be proactive about moving the constraint to the right location? Your team will be in a position to strategically design operations and sales plans to maximize profitability and implement the changes required.

• How can you prevent the bottleneck from moving where you DON'T want it to be? Of course, planning is only part of generating results - your team will learn powerful techniques for managing the execution of your carefully made plans - even when there is a great deal of uncertainty - to ensure you grow profitably and systematically. This will also allow you to see how the TLS process – i.e. using TOC in combination with Lean and Six Sigma - can work to your advantage.

• What happens when the plant is no longer the constraint? Your team will learn breakthrough techniques to increase sales - even in a market where you offer commodity products. This includes managing the sales pipeline as well as the offer to the market.

• How can you manage the sales and marketing practices to make the best use of production capacity? You will learn how to develop sales strategies to maximize the use of your capabilities; squeezing the most profit from your investments.

• A vital question for those whose primary focus is that of Operations is “How can I use Simplified-DBR (S-DBR)?” You will see a simple, powerful way to plan and execute production/operations plans that result in excellent on-time delivery performance - without complicated software. This is based on our experience in implementing S-DBR in many different types of organisations.

So this workshop is designed for executive level decision makers who want to learn how to develop integrated business strategies that take into account:

• Uncertainty in the sales forecast
• Uncertainty in operations and the support functions
• Uncertainty in the market
• Uncertainty in supplier performance

• Pressure to make changes internally, but at the same time making sure they are the right changes!

You will learn how to develop and execute an integrated strategy that leverages plant capabilities and market opportunities. You will discover how to make the sales plan, the production plan and the supplier sourcing plan align instead of conflict as you grow revenues and profits. You will identify and resolve typically unnoticed difficulties that can interfere with integrating a successful supply chain strategy.

Who should attend?

Key decision-makers within the organisation, both at corporate levels and also functional heads and....
Key people from the supporting activities such as finance, HR and purchasing in order to ensure an aligned focus throughout the whole of the organisation.

When can I attend?

Dates to be arranged directly with you and your team. The three days can be consecutive or spread over two or three weeks.
The workshop can be held either in-company or at our Training Centre in Melton Mowbray.

The fee (ex VAT and expenses) for this programme is as follows:
Workshop training (3 days) - £ 900 per person
In-company coaching and support - £ 1,000 per day

For further information or to arrange dates, please email Ted Hutchin
or Diane Jeary, or telephone 01664 502860

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