Collaborative engagement

“My experience working with the Coxswain Alliance people is that they took the time to really understand our needs, priorities and how we worked. As a result, they were able to be flexible and pragmatic in their approach. They met our business needs but did it in a way that suited our company's culture. It is this kind of approach that leads to the development of a trusting and value-add relationship.”
Henry Bateman, GM Medical Centres, Primary Health Care Ltd

 

Disciplined analysis

“The team is very much data driven and used a variety of statistical tools and techniques to drive improvements. The major areas of focus were in working capital reduction, order lead-time analysis and reduction, freight optimisation, distribution centre labour utilisation and the optimisation of ordering and safety stock levels.”
Mark De Wit, Managing Director, Futuris Automotive Group Ltd

 

Delivering results quickly

“...we improved quickly after start-up, from our wash plant throughput rate to our operating utilization, root causes of what was happening were very quickly identified and the team were able to get on top of it, we saw results within about 3 weeks...”
Mark Heaton, GM Anglo American Metallurgical Coal – Drayton

Clear goals, measuring regularly

“...the project enabled us to bring focus to the areas expected to make improvement, this was supported by setting clear (financial) goals and agreeing measures designed to track performance improvements against existing levels...”
Graeme York, CEO International Power – Hazelwood

Making the change stick

“...one of the main drivers for the project was to make improvements that were going to ‘stick’, after 6 weeks we started to talk about sustainability. We developed a system of regular reviews with actions for all managers involved in the process, including myself. I get a traffic light report monthly, that is now part of our own internal processes, that tells me whether people are doing what they should be doing to ensure that we are maintaining the systems. I’m very comfortable here. We have locked it in and I am really am seeing some fantastic results...”
Mark Heaton, GM Anglo American Metallurgical Coal – Drayton

Going the extra mile

“All of the project deliverables were not only achieved but resulted in improved and standardised processes which are now a key element of our supply chain practices. This has delivered a step change in the performance and consistency of our supply chain teams and practices. In addition to the above, a professional, user-friendly, and intranet based training program was developed specifically for Futuris’ supply chain processes and ERP system.”
Mark De Wit, Managing Director, Futuris Automotive Group Ltd

Recent results

Coxswain Alliance is an alliance of operational improvement specialists offering sustainable benefits to a wide range of industry sectors in the Asian Pacific market.

Our people working with your people

We believe strongly in the power of people and the value they bring to the change process. That is why the alliance brings together a team of talented and experienced consultants with extensive business knowledge, collaborative team-based skills and an ability to work alongside your people to achieve results. Delivering in excess of AUD $10m per annum over the past three years, the alliance has a proven track record in delivering real results for clients.

At the core

Our core business is to install and sustain change. We offer clients expertise in redefining processes, management systems and shifting paradigms to support the maintenance of new systems. Whilst installation elements comprise analysis, tool design and system development, the success of the installation depends on coaching and training to sustain newly expected behaviours. Below are some of our more recent success stories:

Resources Industry
Refining
$9m in skilled labour optimisation in a highly technical environment.
In preparation for a major expansion, one of the world’s leading resources companies in Western Australia identified the need to restructure their labour force. During a 28-week project, opportunities for improvement were identified in the range of $9 million. Supporting tools and systems were developed and installed. In addition to technical elements of the installation, significant supervisory training was conducted and a proactive management style fostered to support the restructured labour force and business processes, allowing the organisation to maximise and sustain their advantage to support their business needs.
Coal Beneficiation
A multi-national mining giant in NSW sought to ensure their facility had the capacity to produce the maximum volume of premium grade coal possible for the upcoming financial year. The key objective of the project was to increase the production of export quality, premium grade coal by optimising processing capability. During a 14-week project, an optimisation solution including productivity tools, a new management system and approach focusing on performance of the processing facility was developed and installed. The process optimisations resulted in an additional processing capacity of over 102 kilo tonnes of premium export quality coal per annum, equating to over $20 million of annualised benefits.

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Medical
Disciplined project governance structures leads to meeting market commitments on post-merger synergies.
Following a successful $3.5b acquisition, one of Australia’s leading health care service providers sought a project governance structure to support the takeover and realise expected financial benefits. Key deliverables of the new structure included processes and tools to communicate projects, drive accountability and ensure execution. Key stakeholders in the business were engaged, aligned and supported through the change process. The engagement provided an effective and efficient structure to manage the activities associated with the acquisition in the client’s three core business areas: medical centres, pathology and radiology departments. As of August 2008, the client reported that they were on track to achieve the targeted synergy benefits of $95-$105m by FY2010.

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Automotive
20% improvement in working capital position through supply-chain optimisation.
Volatility in the global car industry forced one of Australia’s leaders in automotive interior manufacturing to optimise current practices in their global supply chain. By aligning supply chain operations, improving inventory management practices and developing excellence in customer service, a 20% reduction in working capital was achieved, equating to over $3m. The project delivered efficiencies through the re-design of supply chain processes, advanced planning models and ultimately a shift in behaviour to focus on newly standardised work practices.

Delivered efficiences

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Retail Sector
$2m in labour cost reduction while increasing customer service levels.
A major New Zealand retailer with an annual turnover of NZ$1.74b required help to enhance productivity and move from a self-service to an assisted-service model. During a 12 week engagement, a new management system and labour model were developed and installed. Training for management and staff was designed and delivered to reinforce expected behaviours for maintaining operational efficiencies, assisted service and active selling.

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With a flexible approach and fit for purpose solutions, Coxswain Alliance offers sustainable outcomes with real benefits in an ever-changing market.