It took only four weeks for Integra Packaging's Managing Director Roger Till, to be impressed with production improvements after moving to new premises and implementing a new layout at Integra's Yeerongpilly, Brisbane, factory.

Co-founders Till and Bruce McBride established Box Built Australia in 1995 to produce timber crates, boxes and pallets to transport goods. The company, now Integra Packaging, has grown to become proficient in packaging design and freight specialisation and includes clients from heavy industries, defence, mining, infrastructure and logistics.

In 2004, in a joint venture with former PricewaterhouseCoopers senior partner John Fisher, Box Built bought the assets of Sheldon, a pallet-making firm at Bomaderry, NSW, and established a broad-based packaging business. Box Built was renamed Integra Packaging in 2008 and has expanded into Victoria. It now employs 63 staff at the Queensland, New South Wales and Springvale, Victoria, sites. Till believes the move into new premises in Brisbane, with the help of QMI Solutions' expertise, will benefit the firm as a whole.

"At the old site, we didn't get our manufacturing flow right. We were not as efficient as we could be and thought outside professional help would benefit us," Till said.  

The factory lease was due for renewal and Till saw an opportunity to move and put new processes in place. Despite his wealth of industry knowledge, he knew Integra required outside help with the move and wanted relevant expertise.

He approached the former Queensland Department of Tourism, Regional Development & Industry, now the Department of Employment, Economic Development & Innovation (DEEDI).

DEEDI put Integra in touch with QMI Solutions for advice on factory layout. Integra identified and procured the new site and, following internal staff consultation, QMI Solutions commenced its assistance in December 2008 to design a bespoke layout.

With factory layouts, QMI Solutions uses a project methodology, starting with defining the company's objectives or outcomes from the factory layout. Integra were very well prepared with required information provided in advance of the project plan, which enabled time for more specific development and analysis of the layout.

Over five days, QMI Solutions and an Integra team planned how the company's objectives would be best met.

QMI's consultant said "We have found we can challenge the status quo with a new layout. People can tend to be protective of their workspaces and how they do things, but Integra was very willing to take on board new ideas and best practice."

As part of the factory layout process, the previously disjointed workflow was streamlined. High-level value stream maps were developed, which looked at the flow of materials and information from an initial customer inquiry to delivery. That helped minimise the distance moved for materials and staff.

Next, key work centres were identified and workspaces or envelopes developed. The inter-relationships between work centres were considered and this was a key to minimising the distance moved for materials and staff.

Occupational health & safety is a key part of the process. Safe material handling is paramount for a factory layout, be it a forklift, a crane or a pallet jack, and this was incorporated into the layout design. We examine what kind of work is being done in a work centre and the required material movements to and from the work centre. One of the best practice outcomes of the layout process is eliminating clutter and maintaining demarcated spaces to support improved workflow and OH&S.

Staff morale is also a key factor. Integra employees had to have input into the design because a happy workforce is a more productive one.

A big consideration was the company's future growth. Integra was introducing a new product line, so that was factored into the layout design.

The move saw Integra downsize from approximately 3,000m² to 2,000m². Till said, "the old processes worked in the larger site but would have been very tight in a smaller space, so this was an ideal opportunity to put new processes in place."

"The big benefit for us was starting from scratch. We had staff input. It was a fresh start, a chance to improve productivity and staff facilities and benefit staff morale."

In only four weeks he had already seen improved productivity. "When we achieved the productivity improvement we gained increased output in other areas, such as the shrink-film business, which is offsite. One driver was personal growth for staff. They can now learn about more complicated aspects of the business. Variety in the work gives them more of a future. It will improve our ability to attract and retain staff," Till said.

The improvements will help Integra's balance sheet as well. "The expected gains amount to a drop in manual labour costs of 3%, which will go back into the business," Till said. "We now have a much better control of inventory and, with greater efficiencies, that helps reduce cost to the customer, a massive benefit in the current financial climate."

Till said the help from DEEDI, in partnership with QMI Solutions, was crucial.  "It's imperative for the State Government to help business grow and, through QMI, they are achieving that. The bottom line is their expertise means jobs and security."

DEEDI Brisbane Southside Centre Director Steve Moorhouse has seen QMI Solutions provide expert assistance to many Queensland companies and was pleased with the outcome at Integra. "It's great to see a company being so proactive and open to support and sourcing expertise from outside," he said. "It's a model of what a company can achieve. It shows the capacity and capability of regional business to promote good working practices and jobs in the region."

He said QMI existed to help Queensland companies. "We use QMI regularly because they bring expert knowledge to this priority sector of advanced manufacturing. The feedback we get back from clients about QMI is excellent. Clients appreciate their expertise, whether that's in sustainability, world's best practice or factory layouts."

Mr Moorhouse said one of DEEDI's roles was to introduce business to expert assistance and QMI was "a hugely valuable partner. If we can assist a business to not just grow but to export in the current climate, it has to be good for regional companies and jobs".