13th February 2005
 
Industry Pacesetters Show Way Towards “High Performance” Wales
 
Welsh businesses which have transformed their fortunes through radical changes in their management of staff are being used as standard bearers in a new drive to create an era of “high performance working.”

Wales Management Council has captured the secrets of these “turn around champions” or “growth trailblazers,” in a new report designed to point the way for other Welsh enterprises to move their operations higher up the value chain.
 
The report which is being circulated widely across Wales gives detailed descriptions of how these organisations multiplied turnover and profits, achieved huge productivity gains or eliminated waste and environmental damage by unlocking staff potential at all levels.

Wales Management Council chief executive, Christopher Ward, explained that although High Performance Working is a key part of two recent economic strategies from the Assembly Government, there were previously no examples or guidelines to help Welsh firms achieve high performance practices.

“This report provides a window on what high performance working actually looks like in different kinds of Welsh businesses, who have become turn-around champions and high growth trailblazers as a result of embracing this approach to management,” he said.

The pacesetters included Halo Foods of Tywyn, Dolgellau and Newport who have moved within 10 years from being a  £2million a year “cottage industry” to a sophisticated £30million, 450-worker operation making 200 million healthy snack bars a year for sale in supermarkets across the UK.

Halo Human Resources Director, Robin Williams, explained that the rapid growth of recent years has been achieved through involving people at all levels across the company in product innovations, and ensuring every worker or manager had individual objectives that supported the company’s overall strategy.

“We have to compete with a lot of blue chip companies so we have to be the best in our sector. Our approach to management has resulted in increasing profitability and a lot of industry awards,” he added.

He said the firm deliberately trains people to be able to do more than their own jobs in order to create flexibility and room for more growth.

Another manufacturer PerkinElmer, which makes scientific instruments at Llantrisant, moved from being deemed by their American parent to be the “worst in the group,” to being “one of the best,” thanks to a high performance working” approach.

Christopher Ward explained: "HPW isn’t a prescriptive management development system. It’s a set of principles and practices that promote high levels of adaptability and involvement, enabling people at all levels to participate in company decisions and the development of processes, products and services.

“The competitive challenge to countries like Wales is becoming tougher so companies have no choice but to use high performance practices to harness the potential and the contribution of all staff, to rise to that challenge.”

The new study covers a range of industries including specialist construction firm Anthony A Davies of Abergavenny, brake manufacturer Meritor HVBS of Cwmbran, office seating maker Orangebox of Bargoed and United Welsh Housing Association, who were last year named by the Financial Times as the 5th Best Employer in Britain.

It also covered the public sector with a study of Coleg Sir Gar, who have 16,000 students across Carmarthenshire, and The Land Registry, who employ 300 people in Swansea.

Mr Ward explained that the report would help move Wales a further step towards High Performance Working, which was identified as a key objective for Welsh management during a landmark Cardiff conference in 2002 addressed by industry leaders from Singapore, regarded as one of the world’s most success nations at implementing HPW practices.

www.crc-wmc.org.uk

Further information from Eoghan Mortell 029 2048 8778 or 07977 555116