Our latest Lean Business Case Study features Rye River Brewing Company, an award-winning beer producer based in Celbridge, Co Kildare. Since 2013, Rye River has been crafting high-quality beers, including the popular Rye River Brewing Co. range, as well as producing exclusive beers for major retailers such as Tesco, Dunnes Stores, and Lidl.
In their quest for continuous improvement, Rye River Brewing Company collaborated with us in 2017 to implement LeanEssentials. This is our online training program that empowers employees to identify process improvements within their own work areas. This partnership led to significant improvements in efficiency and productivity as Rye River employees identified process improvements in areas such as wasted time, inventory cycle, and forecasting free racking.
In this case study, we’ll explore how Rye River Brewing and LeanTeams worked together to implement Lean principles and achieve impressive results. From the initial brainstorming event to the implementation and evaluation of projects, we’ll delve into the key actions taken and the impact they had on the business.
Whether you’re a beer lover or simply interested in learning more about Lean principles, these case studies provides valuable insights and inspiration.
Lean Business Case Study 1 – Wasted Time
In this Lean business case study, we take a closer look at Rye River Brewing and how they tackled the problem of wasted time in their brewing process. It all started when a keen-eyed employee noticed that too much time was being spent waiting to mill the bags of grain for each brew. In fact, this time could be better used if the process time was shortened.
Using the 8-Step Problem-Solving Process, Rye River collaborated with us to identify the root causes of the problem and select the countermeasures.
When tackling a problem, it’s important to gather input from everyone involved. That’s exactly what we did during a Kaizen event. Production managers, line operators, warehouse operatives, and shift line managers all gave their opinions and ideas. These were written down on post-it notes.
To prioritise these ideas, they were placed on an Impact/Ease Chart, which helped the team assess the potential impact and benefits they would have on the company. This resulted in a clear visual representation of where best to assign time and resources.
Next, their ideas were categorised into four groups: Just Do It, Why Not?, Projects, and Not Now. Just Do It ideas are those with high impact and are easy to implement right away. Why Not? ideas have low impact but are easy to address. Projects are ideas with high impact but are difficult to address, while Not Now ideas have low impact and are also difficult to address.
- Just Do It – high impact and easy to do.
- Why Not? – low impact and easy to do.
- Projects – high impact but difficult to address.
- Not Now – low impact and difficult to address.
By categorising ideas and prioritising them based on impact and ease, Rye River Brewing Company was able to address key problems and make significant improvements to their business.
The team identified several key outcomes of their efforts and are listed below:
Key Outcomes
Thanks to their efforts, Rye River:
- Achieved a 30% reduction in process time.
- Eliminated blockages within the process.
- Removed the ongoing problem of dough balls.
What’s interesting about this case study is that it highlights the importance of using the expertise of employees to develop process improvements within an organisation. By implementing Lean principles, Rye River was able to improve their business and make significant progress towards their production goals.
Lean Business Case Study 2 – Inventory Cycle
In this second case study, the business faced a major problem with their Finished Goods Inventory Cycle. A team member noticed several issues that were leading to unfulfilled customer orders and lost sales. This was costing the company €23,400 annually. The company sought to increase the accuracy of their racking board, improve traceability, save time on stock reconciliation, and increase book stock record accuracy.
To tackle these challenges, the company used the 8-Step Problem-Solving Process, starting with a brainstorming event where everyone shared their ideas on post-it notes. The ideas were then assessed for impact and ease of implementation, and assigned to one of four categories: Just Do It, Why Not?, Projects, and Not Now.
The team worked together on improving some issues in the company and implemented the following solutions:
- Updated the QC template by adding a count check space.
- Avoided opening more than one pallet per product.
- Introduced lot numbers and BBE to aisle sheet.
- Added space for date and number when cases are taken off the location on domestic boards.
- Counted the stock only when the production is finished.
- Recognised the need to train staff to improve their understanding of the picking process and to prevent unauthorised staff from moving stock.
- Held weekly meetings on the factory floor to improve communication.
As a result of the lean project, the company achieved a 52% reduction in Average Cycle Time and a 93% improvement in racking accuracy. The project also taught the team valuable lessons about the importance of accurate records, persistence in culture change, and the power of teamwork and communication.
Lean Business Case Study 3 – Forecasting Racking
In this third and final Lean project, Rye River Brewing faced a problem with the stock overflow in their racking area, and the team was determined to find a smarter and more efficient way to work.
The aim of this Lean project was to reduce the amount of time spent putting away quality checked stock from 4.3 hours to 2.3 hours per day, making the team work smarter and more efficiently.
To solve the problem, the company used the 8-Step Problem-Solving Process, which included collaborating with the team, brainstorming ideas, and assessing the potential impact.
Key Outcomes
The business achieved key outcomes through various changes such as assigning quality checks to the previous shift, training more staff on forklift operation, and introducing a second wrapper for quality checks. Additionally, the company implemented a new approach to racking by choosing all available spaces a week in advance, mapping all available spaces, and planning what stock was coming out.
This Lean project is a shining example of the incredible results that can be achieved when an organisation is committed to continuous improvement and asks the right questions. And it’s a testament to the power of Lean principles in driving meaningful change and transformation.
If you would like to see how we can work with you to improve your business, please contact us.
We. hope you enjoyed reading about these lean case studies from Rye River Brewing Company. You can read the full case studies Case Study 1 – Wasted Time, Case Study 2– Inventory Cycle and Case Study 3 – Forecasting Racking. All our case studies are available.
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Don’t miss out on the opportunity to take your business to the next level with the power of Lean principles! Whether you’re a small startup or a global enterprise, our team at LeanTeams is ready to help you achieve similar results to Rye River Brewing Company and their inspiring journey of process improvement.
The 10 Wastes of Lean
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- Identify the 10 Lean Wastes and their impact on your organisation
- Use Lean principles to identify and eliminate waste
- Optimise your operations for greater efficiency and productivity
- Implement a continuous improvement culture in your organisation
