Despite the omnipresent Corona crisis, Hennecke is investing several million euros in a step-by-step structural transformation of its production sites around the globe. The Verano Brianza site of the core brand Hennecke-OMS, with its sandwich panel and technical insulation portfolio, alone accounts for two million of this volume. Creating added value under the umbrella of the company’s "Hennecke 2.0" strategy, this venture represents one of the largest investments in the company’s recent history. Following the pilot project at the company’s headquarters in Germany, the ’Hennecke Production System’ (HPS) was launched just before Christmas at the Hennecke-OMS facilities in Verano Brianza. The world’s leading specialist for the production of sandwich panels and insulation boards supplies a wide spectrum of customers who will particularly benefit from the synergies created by the new production system. The aim of the HPS is to increase the competitiveness of the entire Hennecke GROUP.
Thomas Wildt, CEO of the Hennecke GROUP, summarized the importance of the new production system: "The aim of the new Hennecke Production System is to ensure a sustainable, successful future for the Hennecke GROUP by combining practical methods and design principles for optimum efficiency". In effect, the set of measures for the production environment at Hennecke-OMS in Italy play a decisive role in the gradual realignment of the Hennecke organization worldwide.
The HPS is a modernized version of the well-known lean production system and its content has been tailored specifically to the entire Hennecke organization. The system is a methodology for production, and at the same time represents the culture of the future for Hennecke-OMS in Italy and the international Hennecke GROUP. The main added-value of the HPS lies in connecting the different operational areas, which allows for a synchronized, waste-free production that is aligned with customer demands. Here the focus is on reducing stocks and downtimes, and on maximizing quality and adherence to delivery dates, as well as using assembly space to add value. Besides establishing a set of process rules to ensure smooth order processing, essential improvements have been made to the production layout. The required reorganizational measures have been successfully implemented despite the adversities caused by the Corona crisis. These include putting the infrastructure into operation and setting up the new work spaces. Although the individual measures are due to be completed in the final quarter of 2022, the changes are already clearly apparent. Reorganization of the production and the stock areas has started. Making a distinct separation between the areas for assembly and material supply creates maximum adaptability for a freely configured and flexibly designed (flow) production for the different products and their assemblies. Separate areas are also dedicated to pre-assembly and to customized products.
The completion of these major reorganization measures represents an important milestone for Hennecke in the successive transformation to a center of added-value and for the future of the Italian production site in Verano Brianza, as well as the engineering offices in Vincenza and Abbiategrasso, which are also part of the HPS roll-out in Italy.
Hennecke staff celebrated the launch of the new production system at an inauguration ceremony on 15 December 2021, where a graphical depiction of the HPS was unveiled and is now on central display to staff, customers and suppliers in the assembly hall. To depict the system, Hennecke has selected a well-established pillar model which resembles a roman temple. The Hennecke Business System (HBS) and the Hennecke Core Values constitute its strong foundations. The concept of ’performance management by objectives’ forms the so-called substructure and helps the company remain on its chosen course using key performance indicators. The management principles of the system are the delegation of responsibility, autonomy and driving company success on the basis of the performance indicators. Each individual element of the temple is equally important in itself. However, it is the right interaction between the individual components that makes the HPS strong enough to withstand all external influences.
Now, after celebrating the kick-off, the entire Italian team is highly motivated to tackle further challenges along the way to meeting their goals and to further demand and promote cultural change and a constant willingness to improve processes and workflows. Securing the sustainable, successful future mentioned above, will now be much easier to plan. The Hennecke 2.0 transformation means that the Hennecke GROUP is strong enough to endure the current global crisis and has been able to keep all employees on board. Rather than reducing its global workforce, the Group is currently looking for even more specialists to accompany its transformation into the future.
