A HAMPSHIRE company employing nearly 800 people has been shortlisted for a major national award celebrating British manufacturing excellence.
Portchester-based Schefenacker Vision Systems is a finalist in the logistics and supply chain category of The Manufacturer Awards 2004 and could be in line for the overall title of Manufacturer of the Year.
The awards form a major part of The Manufacturer Live, a showcase of the best of British manufacturing practice.
Tomorrow's World presenter Philippa Forrester hosts the ceremony in Telford, Shropshire, on September 15.
Schefenacker, a leading supplier of mirrors and rear lighting to the automotive industry, adopted just-in-time manufacturing and the Toyota production system in 1995.
Needing to improve the process of ordering materials from its suppliers, Schefenacker embarked on a lean logistics project.
The aim was to reduce stock levels, give better control of the process of ordering materials and ensure timely delivery of components to the production line, increasing capacity.
Suppliers pay to store stock in a remote logistics warehouse and Schefenacker orders from there via computer. The German-owned company, which has clients like Aston Martin, Ford, Land Rover and Nissan, says it has saved £400,000 in a year on reduced inventory.
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