Employees of Vale’s Clydach Refinery, U.K., take a moment to celebrate recently receiving the Shingo Silver Medallion for Operational Excellence. Vale Archive.
Our colleagues at the Clydach Refinery in Wales, U.K., who recently received the coveted Shingo Silver Medallion for Operational Excellence.
“This is a fantastic example of teamwork where everyone played a part in the achievement of this prestigious award. I would like to express my sincere thanks and congratulations to all the employees and contractors who helped us to achieve this accolade,” said Phil Hayman, quality and continuous improvement manager.
The Shingo prize is named in honour of Dr. Shigeo Shingo, who was instrumental in developing the Toyota Production System. The Shingo Institute recognises business excellence around the globe. The philosophy is that world-class performance for quality, cost and delivery can be achieved by the application of continuous improvement tools and techniques in core manufacturing and business processes.
“Everyone at the site is very proud of the improvements that we have made. The award reflects the dedication, enthusiasm and commitment exhibited by each and every employee,” said Fiona Buttrey, technical manager.
By adopting Shingo principles, our Clydach team has achieved notable improvements in every area, including:
• Production. All-time record monthly nickel production in April 2013. Annual production record set in 2013; 6 per cent higher than previous best.
• Safety. Zero lost time injuries in 2010, 2011 and 2013.
• Environment. Recycled or re-used over 95 per cent of waste generated on site in 2013. Reduced hazardous waste to landfill by over 93 per cent between 2008 and 2013.
• Cost. More than 20 per cent reduction in production cost per tonne between 2009 and 2013
• Communication. A “Problem Follow Up” (PFU) process adopted more than 1,400 ideas submitted by employees and contractors refinery wide.
• Reliability. Late shipments to customers reduced from 120 in 2008 to zero in 2013.
“This award recognizes many years of continuous improvement work by everyone at the site focused on safety, quality, productivity and efficiency,” said Mike Cox, general manager, Vale Europe Ltd. “This will ensure that we set not only a world class benchmark, but will also provide a strong foundation for the long term success of Clydach refinery.”
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