Case Study - Faurecia Automotive

With 160 sites and 60,000 employees around the world, Faurecia Automotive is one of the leading suppliers to the automotive industry. Formed following a series of acquisitions and mergers between 1997 and 2001, the company now manufactures six different modules for the industry, including seats, exhausts and doors. In 2005, Faurecia Automotive won a contract from a major competitor to build the seats for the updated version of the BMW Mini.

Faurecia identified an upcoming requirement for 200 production and logistics operators for their new automotive seating plant, but it was recognised that the scope of the task went much wider than simply recruiting 200 people with production experience. The immediate need was for the development of a detailed project plan to be implemented and managed by a recruitment partner in order to introduce a fully competent and suitably skilled workforce into the specialist workplace.

This was where Triangle Recruitment was able to use its extensive automotive recruitment expertise to provide a benchmarking solution. Working to a critical path, the first step was to assemble a project team with the capability to devise a recruitment process that extended way beyond traditional recruitment methods. The objective was to deliver a highly competent, flexible and self-managed workforce to the customer - on time!

The process introduced a robust assessment centre designed to measure core competencies as well as physical attributes. Thereafter, all successful applicants were placed on a six-week training programme created to provide them with the skills, knowledge and attributes that would ensure the delivery of a successful product to the customer.

Mark Brind, Production Manager for Faurecia in Banbury, explains the benefits of using Triangle Recruitment:

"Triangle provided a solution which was on schedule and above and beyond our expectations, so much so that we have subsequently asked them to undertake additional work for us. The quality of the staff is excellent and the service is pro-active and professional. An additional benefit of using Triangle is that they have a clear idea of what our business demands and how to resolve our recruitment and personnel issues."

Triangle Recruitment achieved the project objectives by deploying experienced industry professionals within the project team and by working in close collaboration with our European recruitment partners. The follow-on project was to provide an on-site management team who would manage the day-to-day needs of the business and provide guidance, support and personnel management of the workforce.

This carefully structured programme provided Faurecia with a total recruitment solution. It was a solution that set a premier benchmark throughout the automotive and logistics industry in both the UK and continental Europe.

Case Study - Iron Mountain, London

Iron Mountain is a world leader in the secure storage and management of information and records on behalf of many thousands of client organisations. Founded in the US in 1951, beside a mountain where iron was mined, the company has expanded internationally and now trades in nine European countries. It operates 65 storage sites in the UK and runs its own courier fleet to service the needs of over 10,000 clients, which include leading financial, legal and medical institutions. Iron Mountain has a UK workforce of about 2,000.

Mark Baker is Centre Manager covering two Iron Mountain sites in the London area and has responsibility for sourcing the long-term temporary and temporary-to-permanent staff required both for major projects and to support permanent staff during peak periods. The company handles vitally important information and records, including NHS medical records, so demands high standards of reliability and commitment from its own staff and from any personnel sourced through agencies.

"Back in 2002 we were having major problems with our preferred supplier so, based on the recommendation of another Centre Manager, we asked Triangle Recruitment to provide some candidates," Mark Baker recalls. "With several major projects running at the time, we needed to recruit at all levels. The people supplied at the outset were a great improvement in terms of quality and skills, so we agreed that Triangle would establish an on-site presence to deal with issues arising and meet our ongoing requirements. This on-site presence has been invaluable, dealing with pay, working hours and holiday issues in a willing and amicable way.

"Triangle's helpful approach and respect for our corporate policies took pressure off our own staff. Triangle advertises vacancies and vets applicants and their credentials to ensure they are of the right calibre before they reach the final interview stage. Its support team have developed a good understanding of our requirements and are always supportive, professional and approachable. They go the extra mile, regularly visiting the sites where their staff are working to check they are OK and never placing people in positions purely for the financial gain. Triangle is one of the best agencies I have dealt with over many years and would always be my first point of contact."

Mark Baker knows what he is talking about. He has worked in the demanding and professional Iron Mountain environment for nearly 20 years and has in the past dealt with a number of recruitment agencies that failed to deliver on their promises. The fact that the working relationship with Triangle Recruitment is still thriving in an atmosphere of mutual respect after five years reflects well on the shared professional standards of both Iron Mountain and Triangle.

Case Study – JCB Heavy Products

JCB Heavy Products manufacture excavators between 7 and 50 tonne capacity and had seen significant increases in global sales since the introduction of their current range which provides, by their own admission, “the best excavator we have ever built”. To supply these new demands a new plant in PUNE, India was built in 2006 with the remainder being supplied from the UK manufacturing facility. Despite significant increases in production and productivity, such is the success of the new range that the original facility reached a capacity ceiling in the old land-locked plant in Uttoxeter. As a result, a new purpose built facility was planned for start-up in September 2008. The plant would not only have greater capacity but also presented the opportunity to fully embrace the JCB Production System – a Lean Manufacturing approach.

JCB identified the need for additional resource to ensure that the new Ł40m plant start-up could be a success as well as doing the ‘day job’. TML’s start-up specialists were asked to produce a fully resourced plan for JCB with the project team being made up a mix of JCB and TML personnel. The TML Team members had all been through new plant / products launches before and were all from Lean Manufacturing backgrounds in Manufacturing, Logistics, Programme Management and General Management.

Despite the extremely tight timing, the plant started up on time with macro and micro-management of the many facets of the project. TML provide the flexible resource and customer focussed service that their reputation has been built on, resulting in a satisfied customer and a world class manufactory.

John Gill, Managing Director at JCB Heavy Products explains the benefits of using TML:
"TML provided a flexible solution which was on schedule and above our expectations. The quality of the interim staff and their ability to provide people with just the right skill-set at just the right time was excellent. The service was professional and the team clearly understood the demands of our business. The difference between the old and new plants is outstanding, I’m proud to say we now have the best excavator plant in the world”.

This extensive programme provided JCB with a targeted interim solution. The many aspects of the project included strategic, tactical and operational support. The culture change was accelerated by TML’s input as was the practical application of the JCB Production System.

Cardinal Health, Martindale Products & Specials, Brentwood, Essex

Brentwood-based Martindale Pharmaceuticals is one of the UK's main suppliers of specialist pharmaceutical products, which range from Atropine to Zinc Sulphate. The company manufactures markets and distributes the products for dispensing from hospital and community pharmacies across the country. To achieve this requires a diverse range of skills and aptitudes from the company's personnel.

As an Investor in People, the company maintains the highest standards as an employer and requires similarly professional standards from any recruitment agency it deals with. Graham Cudmore, Head of Production for the busy and demanding Martindale Products and Specials operation, has been using Triangle Recruitment for the past five years.

"We first looked to outside recruiters in 2002 when we decided to deal with a planned increase in workload by taking on long-term temporary operator staff for production line work," Graham Cudmore explains. "Our group's own Human Resources Department recommended that I enlist the help of Triangle Recruitment, based on previous experience with the agency. It has turned out to be an excellent choice.

"We initially required a complement of literate, numerate, dextrous and physically fit production line staff. Triangle fully understood our requirements and provided us on time with the required number of ideal candidates. During the five years since then, Triangle's own staff has always been friendly, knowledgeable, available, and ready to respond promptly to our requests and willing to make site visits at short notice. We are still actively sourcing personnel through them."

The heavily regulated pharmaceuticals industry requires high calibre staff at all levels and where the company is in the rigorous Investors in People scheme the challenges of recruitment can be daunting. Maintaining the highest standards of professionalism is fundamental to Triangle Recruitment's way of doing business, so the long-standing relationship with Martindale Pharmaceuticals has been a match well made.

Laundry Department, King George Hospital

King George Hospital, Ilford, is one of three sites operated on the outskirts of north-east London by the Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust to serve a population of about 700,000. With 960 acute beds and an A&E Department handling 85,000 attendances annually, KGH has an enormous requirement for clean bed linen as well as garments for patients and staff. Responsible for supplying KGH with all its clean linen and garments is Laundry Manager John Harbourne, supported by a complement of 75 permanent staff.

Following an efficiency review, senior management decided several years ago to reduce costs and improve flexibility by operating the KGH laundry with permanent staff levels below the full headcount. To avoid periodic overstaffing, the permanent workforce would be allowed to fall to 85% of full headcount, with agency staff accounting for the other 15%, but fluctuating to reflect the variable levels of annual leave and sickness absence. This strategy, implemented in partnership with Triangle Recruitment on the recommendation of other Triangle users, has served KGH well.

"Triangle provided long-term resources to support the permanent team, plus short-term personnel to cover leave and sickness," John Harbourne explains. "They allocated an on-site manager for the early months, enabling a group of agency staff to gain experience of the work. We were happy with the quality and skill levels of virtually all of the staff supplied. Soon we had a valuable back-up supply of trained people available to meet periodic demands for extra support.

"We have used other recruitment agencies in the past, but Triangle has been the best of all those we have tried. That is why we have worked with them for so many years and will continue to do so as long as they maintain their high standards. They are very good at working with you to establish your particular staffing needs and I have found them very professional, efficient and honest. We have a good working relationship with Triangle and use them 24/7, 52 weeks a year."

Triangle's long-standing relationship with this prestigious public-sector client is evidence of the company's ability to establish efficient working arrangements and to deliver ongoing client satisfaction through to the long term. This provides reassurance to prospective clients that if they choose Triangle Recruitment as a partner they will not find themselves going through the selection process all over again the following year.

Case Study - Yusen Air and Sea Service Limited

A busy logistics and distribution operator, Yusen Air and Sea Service Limited is based in Essex. Its workloads may vary so the company requires maximum flexibility of personnel to ensure efficient operation without over-manning during quieter periods. The company has sourced its temporary staff from Triangle Recruitment for several years, so a very close long-term association has developed.

"Our workload fluctuates on both a daily and a seasonal basis, so we deploy temporary staff as necessary to meet our staffing requirements," explains Depot Manager Reg Hawkins. "Normally we are able to give 48 hours' notice of a need for extra personnel but due to an unexpected consignment or sudden staff absence we may sometimes require same-day help.

"From the outset, Triangle's own helpful staff provided us with suitable personnel, on schedule. We have been using the company for some time now as the preferred supplier that we always approach first. They are professional and reliable, and our long-standing connection means they know the type of person we require. Whether we are seeking staff to meet urgent short-term needs or for long-term temporary work, the support we receive from Triangle is excellent."

Competition in the logistics and distribution market is intense but, after 25 years of trading in the UK, Yusen Air and Sea Service now has a well established business. The careful matching of workforce and workload, which is made possible by using Triangle Recruitment to provide flexible resources, enables Yusen to avoid carrying excess payroll costs. This ability is a crucial factor in maintaining its competitive edge.