The client for this interim mandate is an international group headquartered in Sweden with 8 production plants, 3 innovation centers and a service center in Europe and Asia. The contract manufacturer produces plastic products and finished goods in the household appliances and automotive sectors. International customers include Philips, Lear, Makita and Melitta. The group employs more than 3,200 people.
In the year of the interim assignment, the company decided to expand production in Poland. A plant with around 700 employees had been operating there for more than 15 years. The company had now acquired a competitor company with 700 employees and 11,000 square meters of production and storage space.
Pushing ahead with post-merger integration - relocating production
After the takeover, post-merger integration proved to be problematic. Due to growing customer dissatisfaction, most merger activities were stopped. The interim manager was given the task of integrating the two organizations.
In addition, a production hall and a warehouse with a semi-automated high-bay warehouse for 17,000 pallets were under construction on the newly purchased property (total new construction area: 23,000 m²). The relocation of the first plant created a new factory with a total of 150 injection molding machines, 33 production lines and 1,300 employees on a total area of 34,000 m².
Relocation managed under time pressure and difficult circumstances
The particular challenge in this project was that construction work and relocation were not to interrupt normal work in either plant. To make matters worse, the move had to be completed by the start of the peak season in August. As a precautionary planning alternative, the relocation could be interrupted if necessary and only continued from February next year. However, this would have been very unfavorable for cost reasons. The task was even more complicated because the program was already behind schedule (in some areas significantly so).
Project management for 15 sub-projects planned and managed in 5 phases
In the autumn, an external consultant was brought in and delegated to Poland by the company headquarters in Sweden. The consultant in turn engaged the interim manager. In November and December, an in-depth analysis took place and the detailed planning was drawn up. A project team with a total of 17 external specialists and internal employees was appointed and trained. The interim manager also developed governance guidelines such as the roles and responsibilities of team members, a reporting system, organization chart and meeting and documentation rules. Together with the team, he also developed a communication plan, the onboarding system for the relocated employees, precise plans for the sub-projects as well as specifications for risk and change management and other systems.
When the relocation began in January, the interim manager took over independent program management. The task consisting of over 15 sub-projects was implemented in five stages from January to July. Between the stages, the interim manager organized training courses and "lessons learned" workshops for the team and employees involved. The most important customers were also visited or invited, familiarized with the program and kept up to date.
Program successfully completed on the first possible date
The program was implemented on the first planned date so that there was no need to bridge the peak season. The program resulted in the customer's largest plant (1,300 employees).
