Since 2010, when SEP moved into new premises due to the requirement for greater production and warehouse facilities, we have continued to grow, especially over the last 18 months, and something needed to change.
Our recent need to create locations for new and more stock and working areas has been done on something of an ad-hoc basis, as space could be conveniently created. The result was that our overall ‘workspace’ was becoming disconnected, and the ability of our team to better work together was being compromised.
With the development of further new products (stay tuned in for more details over the coming months!) requiring stock, assembly and testing space there was only one thing to do, and that was start from scratch. However, when you already have very little spare room to start with then planning, and a firm view on obsolescence, is essential.
We set about creating a plan (yes, cutting out shapes was involved – ‘Blue Peter’ but effective) of where we were now and where we needed to be, creating areas specific to material storage, machining, assembly, testing and finished goods/despatch.
Over the past few weeks we have been putting our plan into action whilst trying to avoid moving shelving and stock six times, creating back problems for staff, clouds of dust from under and behind racking, losing important materials, oh and of course disrupting production and customer service!
The result is that we now have:
– a workshop team who are actually together;
– storage which is accessible, logical and with common materials closer to hand;
– a much improved workshop air system;
– efficiency and capacity for future growth; and
– probably one of the cleanest factories in the country!
Rest assured it’s business as usual at SEP whilst all the behind the scenes activity is being carried out. Our engineers, technicians and office staff are all busy taking, making, testing and dispatching orders and answering enquiries. Please call us on for help and advice on fire sprinkler manufacturing on 0161 428 1180 or email info@saleengineering.co.uk.