Control. Structure. Automate. Businesses are constantly trying to improve processes and increase efficiency, but sometimes they achieve the opposite effect. Fesma examines what's actually happening, and that leads to striking insights. "We eliminate waste," says co-owner Samuël Smit-Ockeloen. "We don't just look at the numbers, but especially at the people and systems."
In the bicycle factory he once managed, Samuël Smit-Ockeloen drew his own conclusions. “So many things could be smarter and more efficient. The mere fact that high inventories were the norm. Later, from a consultancy role, I also saw how much could be gained by reducing costs.” The energetic entrepreneur founded Fesma three years ago and put his common sense to work. “Employees do their best, but they easily waste ten minutes a day. That doesn't seem like much, but it adds up company-wide, and you have to hire an extra person. In the financial world, there's a culture of meticulously checking processes, for fear of making a mistake and losing a lot of money. But when three people check all the payments, it costs more than you thought you'd save.” Smit-Ockeloen throws a wrench in the works. I see how companies treat all customers equally. That seems logical at first glance, but what if twenty percent of your customers take up eighty percent of your time? Make a distinction between large and small. It's better to give a customer who generates a lot of revenue a little more attention than one who occasionally buys a few euros' worth of products.
Automation is not always sacred. A logistics client of ours thought their warehouse was in order. Everything was perfectly organized, nice scanners... but it turned out the Wi-Fi network wasn't properly implemented, and employees had to keep walking to the office to run a printout. ICT offers added value in many areas, but we critically examine its necessity. Perhaps employees can fill in the picture differently, or is it possible to eliminate a task altogether? A good example, I think, is automation to make transfers between departments more convenient and efficient, such as with customer files. Everyone has their own specialization, but is that really necessary? Within SMEs, it often proves unnecessary, and one person can perform all the steps. Distinguish between easy and difficult tasks and assign them to the appropriate colleagues. Customers also prefer having a single point of contact who knows the ins and outs. Many companies shouldn't need a menu on their phones. Most callers have one simple question, and if you can easily access the information, it takes little time to answer it. A chatbot or AI? It only works if You can collect a huge amount of data within your own organization. For most small businesses, it's a step too far."
Fesma is tracking down hidden costs, not on an hourly basis, but through a subscription model. "It pays for itself," says Samuël Smit-Ockeloen. "We sit down with people to figure out what's happening. We often start with management, but then also with employees at all levels. How do you work? What obstacles do you encounter? What do you see going wrong? Based on that, we create process maps, and then the waste quickly surfaces. Figures are certainly relevant, but they don't tell the whole story. I recently said to a business owner: 'Things are definitely going really well financially, right? I never see a third reminder.' It turned out the company was already canceling its clients after the second one. Every week, we spend half a day on-site with the client, and no more, because otherwise, we'd be taking people off the work floor for too long. The rest of the time, we analyze how we can address the identified waste. We do this with a whole team of experts, but one contact person always remains ultimately responsible. We keep returning to the subscription model because we know people fall back into old habits or are swayed by changing circumstances. The conclusion is: if you improve productivity and increase quality, you make fewer mistakes, shorten lead times and delivery times, and still satisfy your employees and customers in a tight labor market.
