Value stream mapping of rail sidings activities at Tyseley depot

West Midlands Trains (WMT) has multiple depots across the UK where it carries out essential maintenance tasks for its own trains and those of other operators. One of their key depots is Tyseley, in Birmingham where they maintain the Class 196, 172 and 170 trains. The units are operated by WMT (Class 169 and 172) and CrossCountry trains (Class 170s).

All units arrive and depart in the sidings, which are located in the upper part of the depot with direct links to the live network. Between arrival and departure, there are a series of cross departmental activities to complete, which in its current state, are challenging and negatively impacting the efficiency of the depot.

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Background

In an effort to increase efficiency at its Tyseley Depot, West Midlands Trains (WMT) embarked on a new way of working which adopted the continuous improvement (CI) philosophies in order to identify ways in which current processes could be improved in their depot siding’s location.

Looking to implement continuous improvement practices, WMT identified the depot sidings as the first area of concern. With the sidings having recently been upgraded, existing ways of working were either constrained or no longer applicable, resulting in significant challenges which posed long delays and waste, such as bottlenecks for key activities, repetitive failures of parts and long delays awaiting material.

Due to the requirements and WMT still being in the early stages of their CI journey, some of the more significant challenges required immediate support to begin the scope of works on the sidings project. To address these hurdles, WMT enlisted the expertise of Encompass Engineering. Encompass Engineering were providing other services to WMT at the time of initiation, performing duties on their recently acquired Class 196 trains.

The brief

WMT needed a full evaluation and Value stream map (VSM) on their sidings processes, particularly the process for trains arriving, going through their fuel pit exam, its train presentation regime, decisions on where repairs are made and the process for departure readiness.

Encompass Engineering were to provide services to capture this information, liaise with all WMT staff and contractors across all levels of the business, collect data both visually and through documentation and discussion with staff and to document all the findings in a VSM which would be shared with WMT along with identified opportunities of improvement.

The solution

Encompass Engineering stepped in to provide the necessary expert support and expertise. Here’s how we made a difference:

  • CI Engineering Expertise: our team of expert CI engineers provided additional support on location and provided a focal point for the project.
  • Project Management: we supplied Project Management to ensure continued progress through all stages of the project.
  • Night Inspections: our team attended multiple night shifts to capture the key activities at peak time operation, completing the ‘go look see’ principles.
  • Gemba: we carried out multiple Gemba walks to view ‘the real place’. We walked the process from start to finish, observing all key process steps.
  • Documentation review: we reviewed all process documentation, capturing all key aspects of the flow and identifying opportunities in activities.
  • Staff Interview: we sat down with all the team members who who carried out the maintenance activities and listened to their thoughts and ideas.
  • Value Stream Mapping: we captured all information for all activities in an easy to read and simple value stream map which was shared and ran through with WMT.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: we facilitated communication and coordination among all parties involved, ensuring everyone was on the same page and working towards the same goals.
  • Project Continuation: we identified and kick-started follow-on projects from all the identified kaizen opportunities providing continued support to the WMT CI team.

The result

Our support was pivotal in helping WMT navigate the complexities of mapping the full process flow of units arriving at the depot, undertaking fuel pit exams, train presentation activities and train departures. We ensured that all aspects of the project continued to progress smoothly, from onsite reviews and interviews to stakeholder communications.

Our team captured all of the required information and plotted the full process from start to finish, helping to identify multiple opportunity workstreams which will help drive efficiencies and working conditions and practices for all WMT staff.

This project demonstrates how we can provide crucial support in complex continuous improvement projects, offering a combination of CI expertise, project management and comprehensive support services. Our work with WMT highlights our ability to step in, adapt, and deliver results, ensuring project success even in challenging circumstances.

If you are facing similar challenges, Encompass can provide the expert support to see your project through to completion. Get in touch and find out how we can help your business achieve your goals.

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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