Redesigning a Critical Planning Process in a 24/7 Manufacturing Environment

The Challenge
The production site employs more than 1,000 people in a 24/7 operational environment.

Over time, critical planning activities -from production planning and workforce scheduling to recruitment and training- had become heavily dependent on the expertise of a limited number of experienced planners.

While effective in the short term, this created a significant business continuity risk and limited the organisation’s ability to scale, optimise and improve performance.

Our Approach
Through a combination of in-depth analysis, stakeholder workshops and process redesign, we rebuilt the planning ecosystem from end to end.

Key focus areas included:

• Mapping and redesigning planning processes
• Aligning all planning-related functions and stakeholders
• Clarifying roles, responsibilities and decision ownership
• Standardising handovers and governance mechanisms
• Redesigning the overall planning rhythm and operating model

Business Impact
The result was a fully integrated planning process that became significantly less dependent on individual expertise while improving operational performance.

Key outcomes included:

• Reduced overtime costs
• Lower absenteeism
• More high-performing teams during critical periods
• Improved operational effectiveness throughout the year
• Structural cost reduction

The project also created a clear business case for the implementation of supporting planning software, delivering:
167% ROI over 3 years
Payback period of less than 18 months (including external consultancy costs)

"When we started looking at redesigning our entire planning process, we came into contact with Dennis Fredrickx, an expert who brought exactly what we needed: neutrality, experience and the ability to connect complex stakeholder interests."

Annick Beeke, Continuous Improvement Manager