We’ve all heard the phrase ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’, but here at LeadEdge Flexo, we do it proudly.
For us, true long-term performance that delights our customers is about making incremental changes and improvements that keep us on the cutting edge of flexo supply chain performance. We focus on making everyday changes that add up.
So, why does it matter? Simply, every business behaviour and operational decision has an impact, whether it’s the smallest independent company, challenger brand or start-up, to the largest multinational organisation. When we take a closer look at how we’re making our decisions at LeadEdge, we ask ‘what would the impact be if we did this every day?’. In turn, this feeds into our shared team culture. We’re building a culture of respect, and a philosophy that everyone, no matter how long they’ve been part of our team, can make a difference. This also guides our attitude in key areas such as sustainability and quality – we’re all rowing in the same direction.
We know what our customers are up against. Today’s flexo market has many aggressors and challengers to overcome. As a supply partner to flexo companies, we take a data-led approach to material science, and our mindset in production processes and throughput is meticulous.
Have you heard about our 1% club?
The 1% club is our regular in-house meeting, where we ask the LeadEdge team for their ideas of smaller single changes that improves us 1%, whether that’s in quality, innovation, service or sustainability.
Making massive changes is not sustainable for long periods of time, but we can use smaller, thoughtful inputs and a disciplined consistency to make changes that matter. Great examples from our team include optimising where and how we’re keeping stock and inventory, changing data on a specification sheet or even reducing our reliance on packaging.
The devil’s in the detail, and everyone’s input matters. We all see things differently, and that’s the beauty of a diverse and empowered team. When the result is an improved customer experience or a next level flexo technology, we can sweat the small stuff together.
Our KSA approach: Knowledge, skills & abilities
We believe that for our team to fully engage with the business and become truly passionate about delivering excellence, they need to understand the importance of what they do within the ‘bigger picture’.
To do that, we devised ‘KSA’, our learning matrix covering knowledge, skills and abilities. Through this, we show our people the full end-to-end process, their part in this and how all the moving parts fit together.
This includes a fuller view of our operations, including the importance of material origins, how they travel and where they go, particularly with regards to waste. We also explore the technical aspects, such as why we must manipulate materials to the tolerances that we do.
When we share insight with our team on how LeadEdge fits into the flexo supply chain puzzle, the MATRIX precision mount is a perfect example of how incremental changes make a big difference.
Custom-designed for high quality post-print (HQPP) in corrugated flexo, the MATRIX precision mounting machine demonstrates our commitment to producing the most accurate corrugated plate carrier anywhere in the world. Further, we invest in automation to streamline this process and increase speed of repeatability. This product is continually evolving and improving, and we press ahead with minor changes that can make a big difference on-press.
Supporting our team by nurturing knowledge, skills and abilities, we give them agency and impetus to challenge the status quo of our fundamental operations.
Dreaming big, focusing small
At LeadEdge we dream big, but we focus small. We’ll never be a business that dwells on surface level appearances; to truly accomplish something of grandeur you must focus on detail, on accuracy and on specifics that leave nothing to chance.
Evidencing this is our launch of cbak evolve™, a defining moment in the history of LeadEdge and the history of the corrugated printing industry. This closed cell mounting material is the result of tireless evolution, and now makes a major statement in the plate mounting arena.
Most excitingly, bio-based cbak evolve™ mounting material changes nothing but the environment! The process stays the same, the price stays the same and the excellent results stay the same, but your carbon footprint improves. This material is a massive statement in the context of other material suppliers and the general attitude towards bio-based materials. Major brands are embracing this technological advancement in the packaging of their products, the printing process must embrace these also, we shouldn’t have to convince people to do the right thing.
Backed up by C14 accreditation and a thorough Life Cycle Analysis, the current formulation incorporating 31% bio-based polymer offers an average 28% decrease of CO2 per kilo.
cbak evolve™ is base camp, and our ‘sweat the small stuff’ mentality is what it takes to climb the mountain. Sometimes what an industry needs is disruption. An idea from outside the box that is embraced and believed. Collaboration is one of our core values, and we believe that we must work together for the better. We must sweat the small stuff daily; we must make changes for the better.
They say that if you’re scared to jump, then you must – or be stood still forever. This perfectly encapsulates what we’re about at LeadEdge. Sweating the small stuff and getting down into the details are how we continually move our business forwards. Implementing minor daily reviews, finding opportunities for change and embracing collaboration is at the heart of our business. Our plans and ideas are many, and we’ll never stop pushing for those 1% gains.
Looking for a flexo supply chain partner that’s not afraid to sweat the small stuff and has a keen eye for detail?
Get in touch with our team today to learn more about our range of quality corrugated printing and flexographic products.
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