Manufacturing Digital profiles Linpac Storage Systems, a firm with 60 years of continuous innovation in storage and handling systems
Written by Ian Armitage & Produced by Rahim Ali
Linpac Storage Systems – a business unit of the Linpac Allibert division – is a name well known to Manufacturing Digital, as well as being quite a coup for us. It was, after all, short-listed for a 2009 UK Manufacturer of the Year Award (organised by The Manufacturer magazine in association with RBS).
Although it eventually lost in its bid to win the Operations & Maintenance category – a category sponsored by KPMG – it’s important to note that the winner was its sister Linpac Packaging, the plastic food packaging division of the Linpac Group.
“With over 60 years’ experience in the design, manufacture and installation of storage and handling systems, we are extremely proud of the professional service we deliver to all our customers,” says Michael Rudniak, Operations Manager. “It is a tremendous achievement to get this sort of recognition from the industry, especially against some strong competition.”
Such awards are merely the tip of an enormous iceberg, however; customer expectations are regularly exceeded. “We have a very wide variety of customers, ranging from very small enterprises to multi-nationals such as Amazon,” says Rudniak. “We also have a number of instantly recognisable retailers on our books, like Matalan, Tesco and Argos.”
SPECIALIST MANUFACTURER
In case you haven’t guessed by now, Linpac Storage Systems specialises in the manufacture and marketing of high quality adjustable pallet racking from its headquarters and factory in Milton Keynes. It also makes and distributes shelving systems and accessories.
“As I said before, the company has over 60 years’ experience in such a specialist area as the design, manufacture and installation of storage products and many of the employees have worked in the industry for over 20 years,” stresses Rudniak, who went on to explain that this gives the company a great platform as it “strives to be the best” in all its endeavours, and, as a result, gets a lot of repeat business.
“We work in a competitive market, so we strive to be the best,” says Rudniak. “Our goal is always to add value for our customers.”
This commitment, as surprising as it may sound, isn’t what we found most interesting about Linpac Storage Systems, no. What makes the firm unique is that, despite its size, and the size of the wider group, it produces all of its pallet racking in the UK. Indeed, its manufacturing, as well as the entire management team, is situated in Milton Keynes.
This, says Rudniak, ensures unity and means the company can give customers innovative, technologically advanced and high quality solutions that improve their performance, competitiveness and profitability.
“We think it is important to have manufacturing in the UK. It gives us an advantage as we are able to respond quickly and effectively to customer and market demands,” he explains.
Indeed, Linpac’s UK manufacturing facility gives it a distinct advantage in the marketplace: it is there that ideas are born.
“Having manufacturing here is very important to us, especially as we have seen huge declines in UK manufacturing,” says Rudniak. “And we are confident in our team’s ability to deliver – not just now but in the future.”
Quality systems approved to the ISO9001 standard ensure that customers receive nothing but outstanding service from quotation to completed installation.
“We are essentially a partner,” adds Rudniak.
MANUFACTURING EFFICIENCIES
Of course, we are still in a recession; a recession that has triggered panics in the UK and hit an already hard-up manufacturing industry where it hurts - its margins. Linpac Storage Systems, like anyone else, has felt the effects.
“It was a tough year for us, but with the implementation of a lean manufacturing process and with a low cost base we still operate effectively in the market and we still remain profitable, which is fantastic in this climate,” explains Rudniak. “It is a difficult climate because customers that want our systems postponed decisions to see what would happen with steel prices and the availability of funding from banks, which has restricted our orders intake . But it looks like things are picking up.
“October, for instance, was the best month of the year so far, so I would say we are managing very well.”
In a bid to reduce the burden of the recession, while increasing performance and raising standards, the firm, says Rudniak, has introduced a new Skill Matrix. That, he explains, is one of the most simple, but highly effective, tools available to assess training needs.
“It is easily reviewed and updated, and presents the skills of team members in a single chart,” he says.
This, though, is just one in a number of measures introduced to improve efficiency, while minimising the effect on the customer experience.
“We have a continuous improvement programme in place,” continues Rudniak. “That helped improve productivity and, what is already a very good level of customer.
“We have improved efficiency, as well as the way we measure it,” he adds. “The continuous improvement programme has been a huge benefit to us.”
Using lean and performance improvement techniques, Linpac Storage Systems has improved manufacturing performance.
“We are more cost effective now. And the fact we made money this year is testament to the hard work people have put in,” says Rudniak.
With a number of big contracts in the pipeline for 2010, these are naturally times for celebration, especially as we enter the New Year.
“There are not a lot of UK manufacturers left,” concludes Rudniak. “We are proud to be one.”
FACTS AT A GLANCE
COMPANY NAME: Linpac Storage Systems
OPERATIONS MANAGER: Michael Rudniak
OPERATIONS: Storage and handling systems
PARENT: Part of the Linpac Allibert Group
www.linpacstorage.com