Poul, Anders, and Christian are the supervisor’s extended arms

It takes rethinking of processes to handle a rapidly increasing order backlog and more complex products. Meet three experienced factory workers, who have become an essential link between planning and production.

Did we manage to complete yesterday’s tasks? What is the plan for today? And do we have everything, we need for tomorrow?

At Svanehøj, Poul Peter Pedersen, Anders Rosenbeck and Christian Hostrup are assigned to ensure that the production is at the forefront of the day-to-day operations. At the beginning of 2022, the three experienced factory workers were assigned additional roles as production coordinators. The purpose is to assist the supervisor as the order volume has increased significantly and the products have become more complex as everything is customized for clients and projects.

- Our job is to plan the day-to-day operations and to make sure that we have the necessary components at our disposal. At first, our colleagues were a little sceptical about our new roles but that changed when they saw the positive changes that followed, explains Poul Peter Pedersen, production coordinator for EFP pumps and employee at Svanehøj for 28 years.

- It is a major plus that we have enhanced our focus on getting the right components on time. There are no longer a lot of pallets with things we have no use for. People know exactly what to do to ensure we always stay ahead of issues, adds Anders Rosenbeck, production coordinator for DW/DL pumps and an employee at Svanehøj for 27 years.

Whiteboard meetings keep projects flowing

The daily whiteboard meetings are the focal point for the teamwork between the supervisor, the master planner, and the production coordinators. These meetings ensure that everyone is working towards the common goal.

- You take more responsibility when you are part of the decision-making process and help to set the priorities. Before, the supervisor was involved in most decisions, but today the decisions are made in the team just as much, says Christian Hostrup, who is the production coordinator for booster pumps and has been a part of Svanehøj for 16 years.

The delegation of responsibility and decision-making competence makes the workday less bureaucratic, and it is a great advantage, says supervisor Kasper Eldrup:

- As a supervisor, it is a weight off my shoulders. We now have a much better flow and flexibility than we did before. Now I can focus on being a leader instead of having to put out fires all the time. It is awesome, he says.

Photo (from left): Poul Peter Pedersen (produktionskoordinator), Anders Rosenbeck (produktionskoordinator), Kasper Eldrup (værkfører), Christian Hostrup (produktionskoordinator) og Peer Mortensen (Senior Master Planner).