Case Study - Change Management
for Plant ClosureMajor Pipe Manufacturer - NSW, Australia
The Challenge
Changes in market conditions necessitated the closure of a major manufacturing site.
The nature of the product meant that maintaining quality up to the date of closure was critical.
The announcement of the closure stimulated last minute demand from some key customers. This required the maintenance of productivity levels up to the date of closure.
As soon as the closure was announced a large number of staff immediately began looking for alternative employment and requests to leave early began to occur.
EnterpriseIS were requested to assist with the Change Management process.
The Solution
A change management framework in which stakeholder identification, communication plans and identification of win-win situations and outcomes was a key focus of the process.
Plans to achieve the required business outcomes and also accommodate the needs of existing employees were developed.
Key features of the change management exercise were:
- Effective communication of the reasons for the closure, the stages in the closure process, and constant progress updates to the workforce of progress
- Engagement with, and identification of, the individual needs of each employee, gaining commitment needed to meet the constraints of the business up to and after closure
- Employee Interviews to develop customised redeployment plan
- Employee skill sets matched with prospective industries
- Identification and communication with prospective employers
- Employee exits coordinated in a staged and progressive manner.
The Results
- All members seeking further employment were successfully redeployed into an industry that suited their needs.
- No safety incidence from the time of plant closure announcement to the final day.
- Customer orders delivered in full ahead of schedule by a motivated workforce.