Lean Approaches Create Greater Efficiencies & Promote Organizational Growth
As a methodology, lean has long been used by management and leadership teams in a given business. However, these principles can be applied anywhere, and lean can consequently bring enormous value to any organization or team in any industry—including the manufacturing and service centers for SPMTM Oil & Gas.
Why now is the time to focus on lean
Historically, lean has not been used in service centers with the same level of focus as it is used in manufacturing. But as customers and service centers alike try to do more with less in the face of ever-tightening budgets and margins, it’s time for every business to also turn its attention inward to identify areas for growth.
Through lean and its focus on continuous improvement, service centers—much like any organization—can eliminate waste and create greater efficiencies to help internal processes run more smoothly. In turn, these focus areas can yield faster turnaround times, greater quality, and a host of other benefits that result in an improved customer experience.
What lean can mean for service centers
SPM Oil & Gas implemented lean prior to the pandemic and has seen improvements in our ability to ensure quality while helping customers reduce costs and meet deadlines. And while the internal team has been using lean to uncover how to maximize use of resources, reduce waste, and promote collaboration and best practices to drive business results, they’ve taken it a step further by leveraging SPM™ Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and the SPM™ Asset Management Program (AMP) to further enhance speed, accuracy, and scalability.
In particular, the introduction of an efficiency-focused SPM Asset Management Program has resulted in major benefits for both the internal team and the client. One large oilfield services company was able to save $20,000/month in iron rental by applying our Asset Management Program to track, refurbish, and relocate their 4,000 pieces of iron. That’s $730,000 over five years.
Lean is here to stay
Service centers must be responsive to customer needs, which means maintaining an internal focus on promoting adaptability while ensuring quality. Bearing these factors in mind and considering the advancements already achieve through lean, it’s clear that this continual improvement philosophy will be a long-term addition to service center processes.
