Exol Lubricants, the UK’s largest independent oil blender, has bolstered its lean production expertise with a visit to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) production facility at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham.
Exol’s operation team visited the Castle Bromwich site which employs more than 3000 people to produce all five Jaguar models including: F-TYPE, XK Grand Tourer, XJ, XF and XF Sportbrake.
The visit was organised as part of Exol’s ongoing programme to implement lean manufacturing which involves producing goods and services while stripping out waste. As a result there is no ‘fat’ involved in production.
Lean manufacturing was invented by Toyota in Japan just after the second world war but it was not until 1998 that Jaguar started to use it to increase its productivity. After the successful implementation of lean manufacturing, Jaguar has become one of the world’s leading car brands.
Exol Lubricants operates the same lean production processes. It operates a Kanban scheduling system for controlling the logistical supply chain to ensure lean and just-in-time production.
“We are extremely grateful to Jaguar Land Rover for allowing Exol’s operation team to see first hand their excellent facility and lean manufacturing process,” says Exol sales director Steve Dunn. “As a product manufacturer we continue to implement lean manufacturing strategies into our business with the aim to reduce waste and ensure a clean and safe working environment.”
Next, Exol’s operation team will visit the lean manufacturing facility of JCB in Staffordshire.
