Hayward Tyler develops a robust growth plan with investor buy-in – thanks to predictive simulation
Project facts
- ClientHayward Tyler
- LocationUK
- ChallengeDeveloping an accurate growth plan to deliver an ambitious business transformation project.
- SolutionTwinn Witness predictive simulation software created a virtual factory for informing and validating planning.
- ImpactA robust, evidence-based plan – with an enhanced ability to communicate the vision to employees, customers and investors.
Challenge: Developing an accurate growth plan to deliver an ambitious business transformation project
To capitalise on opportunities across its growing markets, Hayward Tyler recognised it needed to undertake a business transformation project. The project’s 3 pillars were maximising efficiency, aligning capacity to demand and boosting profitability.
Hayward Tyler had previously used Excel as its primary modelling tool for planning. However, given the extent of change required to execute the project, the management team didn’t believe Excel could help them communicate and deliver an accurate, trusted plan for growth.
They now needed a tool that would provide the foresight to understand:
• How the business would look in 5 to 10 years
• What future opportunities might be
• How operations would evolve over the period
• The optimal timing for key asset investments
Complex resource and process variables all had to be factored in, including new equipment, people, sub-assembly processes, cranes, forklifts and back-office policies and workflows.
Solution: Twinn Witness created a virtual factory for informing and validating planning
Having concluded that Excel was an unsuitable tool, Hayward Tyler looked at how predictive simulation could be used to create a dynamic, virtual representation of its facilities and operations. After evaluating several solutions, the management team selected Twinn Witness (previously under the Lanner brand). They chose Witness for its ability to execute detailed, schedule-based planning in a rapidly deployable and user-friendly environment, completely ‘out of the box’.
‘We are an extremely dynamic company and needed a solution we could adopt quickly and hit the ground running,’ said Martin Clocherty, Manufacturing Systems Director at Hayward Tyler. ‘When we saw the level of insight predictive simulation could provide, we immediately bought Witness. We developed a meaningful model from which to create our master plan in just a few months.’
Using Witness, Hayward Tyler created a ‘virtual factory’, which presented a highly visible picture of how its manufacturing operations would evolve over the next 5 to 10 years. The model:
• Highlighted what would be required to meet demand – and maximise profitability
• Factored in multiple influences on plant capacity and performance – including factory layout, equipment requirements, shift patterns and peaks and troughs in demand
• Encompassed key milestones and product mixes – and identified what processes and resources would be needed at each milestone to keep pace with predicted demand
Martin described Witness as ‘hugely powerful in that it can run a year’s simulation in seconds, facilitating a detailed picture of exactly what business processes and resources we need to deliver against future demand.’
Witness is hugely powerful in that it can run a year’s simulation in seconds, facilitating a detailed picture of exactly what business processes and resources we need to deliver against future demand… In 20 years of using software across a number of different roles, nothing has impressed me as much.
Impact: A robust, evidence-based growth plan – and the ability to communicate the vision to employees, customers and investors
Thanks to Witness, Hayward Tyler developed a five-year model signposting the activity required to achieve its plans in the most efficient way possible. The virtual factory visualised how the business would look in 5 years – and at any point up until then. This deep insight meant Hayward Tyler had an accurate plan that allowed it to pre-empt forecasted changes, maximise productivity and minimise costs.
‘It’s exciting to see clearly where the ongoing investment in our facilities will take us,’ Martin commented. ‘The model tells us when spare capacity will run out, when we need to upgrade machines or when we need to change shift patterns. And the model is dynamic, so we will continue to update and populate it with more detail and market changes as we become aware of them,’ Martin explained.
Witness also became an invaluable stakeholder communication tool. It demonstrated the plan’s robustness to Hayward Tyler’s key banking partner – providing transparency, showcasing the team’s competence and instilling confidence. The virtual factory was also presented to the in-house manufacturing workforce and subcontractors, helping engage, motivate and secure buy-in from these internal stakeholders as they transitioned to new methods of operation.
‘Testament to our success is that our CEO mandated that simulation must be used as the foundation for planning at our other facilities. We are therefore looking to extend the reach of predictive simulation across the organisation, starting with our US-based operation,’ Martin said.
‘In 20 years of using software across a number of different roles, nothing has impressed me as much. To gain the level of insight provided by Witness – and the productivity improvements which we will derive as a result – is testament to the integrity of the software and the commitment and professionalism of the expert team that supported us. That we achieved this within just a few months of engagement is hugely impressive. They have genuinely delivered on their promises and equipped us with the insight to transform our business and boost profitability exponentially,’ Martin concluded.
