Cutting edge Morecambe company on highway to success with knowledge to innovate

In Touch Ltd turned to K2i’s industry professionals for help using the business process improvement tool Six Sigma to identify a problem with one of their communications software products. The company works in conjunction with Lancaster University to develop 3G mobile communications software for the highways industry. The client list includes several local authorities and Carillion.

 

John Walden, Managing Director of In Touch, called on the services of K2i’s John Henderson after his company was unable to identify an intermittent fault with their software. Using Six Sigma, a business management strategy originally developed by Motorola, they discovered that the fault lay within the SIM cards provided by their network service provider. Once the fault had been identified, it was easily corrected.

 

The project has proved so successful that John Walden now plans to embed Six Sigma in all of its processes, using the knowledge and expertise of K2i. Funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), the K2i team offer companies a rare opportunity to enjoy professional mentoring at no charge in order to overcome barriers to innovation and make the most of creative resources.

 

John Walden said: “The support received from Knowledge to Innovate has been invaluable, there was no-one else that could have helped us with the same level of background knowledge. Because this was a pilot project, it helped us decide whether the Six Sigma system was worth applying to the rest of our business. The results have spoken for themselves, and we now plan to apply the system across In Touch.”

 

In Touch’s works order software allows workers out in the field to receive detailed instructions on handheld GPS machines. The workers are also issued with sophisticated equipment which can track their progress throughout the day. For example, winter maintenance vehicle workers can receive messages telling when and where motorways and trunk roads need to be gritted, with a “black box” machine recording every inch of road that has been salted throughout their working day. The software can be used in wide range of applications, including by local authorities instructing employees while they clear gullies.

 

John Henderson, from K2i, added: “In Touch had some particular issues with one product range, which meant that engineers had to go out onto the field to fix the hand-held GPS machines. I am very glad that this pilot Six Sigma project proved to be useful, and that they are now going to expand the use of the programme with the support of Knowledge to Innovate.”