Rob Cooper has been at Burlington Stone for 30 years, having joined straight from school and worked his way up in the business. The company, based in Kirkby-in-Furness in Cumbria, make high quality products using natural stone, which has been quarried for over 400 years from the heart of the English Lake District.

Spurred on by the appointment of a new Director who wanted to implement some new thinking, Rob felt that the business needed to change how it worked, and found Productivity through People (PtP) had all the answers he needed to take the business forward in the 21st century economy. As Rob explained, “In a traditional, natural resource-based industry, the pace of change can often be slow. I knew that we needed to explore new ways to make the manufacturing process more productive.” He was attracted to PtP by the range of support on offer and the opportunity to learn from other delegates, large companies and academics

One of the key benefits of the programme has been in helping Rob to identify specific changes to working practices that, when implemented together, can lead to larger benefits. “This has been a key insight for me. Its not so much about coming up with one big idea, but lots of smaller ideas that combined together are greater than the sum of their parts.”

Rob has introduced a range of new methods, including greater use of visualisation tools, employee engagement and incentive schemes. He now regularly bringing people together from different aspects of the business, such as the manufacturing and retail sides, to share ideas and learn from each other. Rob also now involves a wider range of workers in business decisions, breaking down hierarchical barriers.

Rob is really enthusiastic about how readily his colleagues have put his ideas into practice. “Staff from across the company from the Board to the production line to the shop floor have all bought into the changes I’ve sought to make. This new collaborative approach is definitely the way we’ll work in future.” He adds that, “The benefits can already be seen in better performances on company production metrics.

The programme has also led Rob to make a conscious effort to build reflection into this work. In a busy work environment this is hard to do, but this thinking time away from the business has been vital in helping him to identify further potential improvements to working practices and how to make the most effective use of staff time at work. “You need to make time to plan,” he says.

Rob will continue to reflect on what he’s learned on the programme and on how he can use this to continue to drive change in the business in the longer term. Rob would be very happy to work with Lancaster University again to address future challenges and exploit the opportunities they present. This could include, for example, digital technologies, which whilst not a major part of the business now, have the potential to become more important in the future. “Digitalisation is what everyone in manufacturing is talking about at the moment,” says Rob. “We still need to think through what this will mean for our business, but its great to know that Lancaster University is there to help us figure it out.”

Rob appreciated PtP’s blended learning approach. He has benefited from rich and varied discussions with peers from range of industries, as well as learning from the major industry partners. The working practices benchmarking has also been a great yardstick against which to assess working practices and through the programme to have a more accurate picture of his and his company’s capabilities.

‘‘Taking part in Productivity through People has shown me that old businesses in traditional industries can be as innovative as any firm, and that new ways of working can give it a new lease of life. Putting into practice what I’ve learnt from the programme means that at Burlington, together everyone is achieving more as a team.”

Productivity through People is a ten-month programme in partnership with three world class manufacturers; BAE Systems, Siemens and Rolls-Royce, designed to support and invest in the key decision-makers of tomorrow. Gain access to the latest techniques, thinking and research to transform your productivity and working practices

Contact us on 01524 593583, email ptp@lancaster.ac.uk or visit lancaster.ac.uk/lums/ptp to find out more about the programme.

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