Depot Optimisation

Often, just a few minor adjustments to how your depot operates can result in significant time and cost savings. The challenge is finding the time to identify these opportunities.

Whether you are a new facility establishing processes or an established depot looking to future-proof itself, we offer a thorough review of your current processes, systems, and ways of working. Bringing our independent perspective and experience, our team of expert engineers provide fresh approaches and new ideas to optimise your depot, increase productivity and reduce costs.

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Depot Review

At Encompass Engineering we know the constraints facing you on the daily basis in your facilities, whether this is with high level defects or general resource inefficiencies.

Our depot review service assesses your current operations, infrastructure, and practices to identify gaps and improvement opportunities.

Using your existing data and current process, we will evaluate layout, workflow, maintenance practices, and quality and safety protocols against industry standards with a view to give you tailored solutions that will maximise your depot efficiency.

Our services include:

  • General Assessment
  • Operational Process Evaluation
  • Gemba Walk

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Production Efficiency

In the fast-paced environment of railway operations, efficiency is key. Yet, many depots struggle with outdated processes, resource mismanagement, and prolonged service times, leading to a cascade of operational inefficiencies.

With our bespoke service, focused on production efficiency, we will design and implement innovative strategies that target and eliminate inefficiencies at the core. From optimising workflow and resources to implementing cutting-edge technology solutions – we will identify specific challenges within your operations and develop target strategies for improvement.

Our services Include:

  • Process Mapping and Standardisation
  • Capacity Analysis
  • Workflow Optimisation

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Practical Solutions

Recognising and addressing the symptoms of operational problem solving is one thing; diving deeper to undercover and rectify the root causes is another.

Our approach involves a deep dive into your processes to unearth underlying problems, followed by the creation of a comprehensive, customised action plan. Our expert team provides hands-on coordination and execution of the plan, ensuring that every step is implemented effectively for impactful results.

We will implement practical, sustainable solutions to reduce cost, improve quality, increase employee engagement and empower your staff with the skills and knowledge to continue improving operations.

Our services include:

  • Root Cause Analysis
  • Solutions Implementation
  • Quality Improvement

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CI Mentoring and Coaching

Empower your team by equipping them with tools, techniques, and insights needed for sustained operational excellence. At Encompass Engineering, we customise learning experiences that cover essential CI methodologies, including Lean and Root Cause Analysis. We leverage insights from across the industry with sessions dedicated to sharing best practices and innovative solutions; hands-on workshops that engage teams in solving your depot’s problems.

Our team of experts, tailor and provide a comprehensive toolkit that includes guides, templates, and resources to support the implementation of CI projects within your depot. We work together to guide your team through the implementation of improvement ideas to achieve tangible results.

Our services include:

  • Best Practice Workshops
  • Knowledge Management System

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CI Resource

We can provide an experienced continuous improvement (CI) expert to fill a temporary gap that will embed directly into your team. Not only will our engineer address any immediate CI needs – but the additional resource can also help you lay the groundwork for long-term organisational growth.

By deploying a CI resource temporarily, we can help you quickly identify inefficiencies, streamline processes, and boost productivity without you having to commit to a permanent infrastructure overhaul. While serving as a temporary solution, our CI expert can lay the foundation for sustained success by identifying areas for long-term investment, developing internal capabilities, and helping to foster a culture of continuous improvement that drives organisational excellence from within.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Depot Continuous Improvement and Enhancement is crucial for optimising depot operations, reducing costs, minimising downtime, improving asset utilisation, ensuring regulatory compliance, and meeting the evolving needs of rail customers and stakeholders.
Key areas may include maintenance processes, equipment reliability, inventory management, workforce productivity, safety protocols, environmental sustainability, customer service, and technology integration.
Depot Continuous Improvement and Enhancement initiatives may involve various methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, Total Quality Management (TQM), Continuous Improvement (CI), and Kaizen. These methodologies emphasise data-driven decision-making, collaboration, and engagement at all levels of the organisation.

Case Studies

Value stream mapping of rail sidings activities at Tyseley depot

West Midlands Trains has multiple depots across the UK where it carries out essential maintenance tasks. One of their key depots is Tyseley, in Birmingham.

All units arrive and depart in the sidings in the upper part of the depot with direct links to the live network. Between arrival and departure, there are a series of tasks to undertake, which given its state, were challenging to complete and led to depot inefficiencies.

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A Root Cause Analysis for West Midlands Trains

Experiencing persistent issues with tool calibration, West Midlands Trains sought to identify the issue, prevent future instances and bring them in line with required standards.

They wanted a fresh perspective and expert support, so they engaged Encompass Engineering to perform a comprehensive GEMBA walk to identify potential challenges and opportunities.

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Testimonials

Encompass Engineering supplied a skilled engineer who has proven to be a valuable, dedicated resource for this project, as well as for other projects they have successfully undertaken for the business. The engineer brought a wealth of knowledge and fully engaged with our workforce to ensure buy-in and transparent working.

— James Holmes, Business Excellence Manager, West Midlands Trains

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