“We can learn, improve and grow only by hearing the voice of customer – we should listen more and assume less”- Keld Mosgaard Christensen, Managing Director.
From May 24 to June 1, APM Terminals held a Kaikaku Kaizen Pilot Week in several countries around the world, including APM Terminals Poti. The purpose was to support the company’s ongoing transformation strategy and the deployment of Lean methodology.
Kaikaku is a Japanese word for radical change. Using the principles of Lean methodology, members of several functional teams united around one of the company’s main goals for the year and, with the active support of local middle and senior management, and the Europe regional management team, worked together to identify waste and inefficiency in processes, and make changes which will create value for both customers and the APM Terminals.
One of the main services at APM Terminals Poti Container Yard, the receipt and delivery of used vehicles from containers, was selected, and a team of 15 staff from various departments including Commercial, Operations and HSSE, led by Chief Commercial Officer, dedicated their full time to reviewing and revising all related processes.
At the initial stage, the current situation was thoroughly evaluated through site observations. Customers of APM Terminals who use the Container Yard were actively involved in the process to identify improvement areas and pain points, define priorities, seek out solutions and discuss opportunities to collaborate to make effective process changes. As an outcome of the Kaikaku week, 14 processes related to this specific service were identified, and responsible persons and specific deadlines have been assigned to make sure the service enhancement is achieved. The ultimate aim of this investment in time is to further improve the customer experience at APM Terminals Poti.
“Kaikaku Week was a continuation of the company’s Lean journey, and clearly defined areas where we had opportunities to improve our processes and serve our customers better. The impact of the work done reaffirmed the value of the transformation approach chosen by the company, which puts our customers and their needs at the centre of the business processes. A particular value was how this engaged the hearts and minds of the whole team, and this quality of service will drive benefit to the country’s economy and the individuals and the organizations making up the supply chain.”- stated Iain Rawlinson, Chief Commercial Officer.
This week was also very important in terms of aligning employees from different functional departments toward the common goal which will have an immediate positive effect on customers, as well as the company and its employees.
“It was the first time I participated in an event that allowed us to get so familiar with the daily tasks of various employees within the organization. We had the opportunity to exchange our opinions and views and discuss all important issues with the management as well as with representatives of different departments. This will ultimately allow us to develop the existing service and address the needs our customers might have. We had daily discussions, communication with the clients and summarized the work/tasks executed that was shared with the Regional Head Office. I would like to express my sincere appreciation for organizing this week.”- stated Lasha Ambalia, Customer Care Partner, Operations.
