Lean thinking and high productivity are central to the ongoing transformation of the Varvel Group, which has chosen to become a “competence factory” in order to grow further on the international market.
Valsamoggia (BO), 22 October 2019 – In the world of Industry 4.0, in which greater digitalization and better performance are seen as ways to reduce waste and adapt more easily to changes in demand and offer, managers have to adopt a flexible, long term approach if they are to keep pace with the rapid changes imposed by globalization.
The Varvel Group, leaders in mechanical power transmission for over 60 years, enjoyed decisive phases of growth before deciding on this latest strategy for production and sales, which sees the group focusing on its strengths and on improved competitiveness. The philosophy of sharing ideas and valorizing resources inspired by the group’s president, Francesco Berselli, is shared by all the players who contribute to Varvel’s growth. The approach contains an intrinsic component of flexibility expressed by the concept of Lean Production (or Lean Manufacturing), an indispensable model for identifying customers’ needs and designing activity flows to ensure their complete (and rapid) satisfaction.
When this system is complemented by the “Six Sigma” method, the consequent simplification and streamlining of processes leads to a significant improvement of performance on the market. Thanks to an approach based on data analysis – and on reducing the risks associated with errors in evaluating the process – the Varvel Group has succeeded in its objective of eliminating a great deal of “effective waste” and designing a corporate measurement system.
The result is the Varvel Mechnology System, a ”change accelerator” that, by monitoring every step, understanding real customer needs and dividing work into achievable and tightly spaced objectives, is presently guiding the progress of Varvel’s production base.
The Varvel Group is committed to evolving from a “product factory” into a “competence factory” and sees the time factor as key to the development process. “The success of our development projects depends largely on the times within which we can implement the strategic choices identified in our new industrial plan,” explains Mauro Cominoli Managing Director of Varvel Group. “Identifying the right time to make an investment is extremely important. Flexibility is already a reality at Varvel: we have given our company a more modern organization aimed at internationalization and continuous improvements in productivity.” Among the main steps in Varvel’s strategic and organizational plan is the introduction of advanced data analysis systems. The reports these systems generate identify and correct weak points in the production chain. This is an essential step towards focusing on the factors that have the greatest influence on the process, introducing the improvements needed to maximize earnings, and concentrating on the customization and differentiation of production.