From modest beginnings as a family-owned business, the  Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) has grown into the predominant alcohol-free beverage botler in Nigeria and the second largest in Africa. 

NBC, one of the few remaining indigenous multi-nationals in Nigeria, manufactures and sells more than 1.8 billion bottles of 33 Coca-Cola brands annually. With increased global pressure on manufacturing industries to become more efficient and eliminate waste, NBC identified a need to engage the workforce in an improvement programme driven from the operational side of the business.

The challenge was to implement TPM practices in a market that, though rich in mineral wealth, still exhibits mass poverty coupled with erratic electricity and water supply – factors that will stretch the morale of even the most optimistic workers.

Supporting the need for improvement, senior management had earlier participated in a Six Sigma Green Belt programme delivered by Coke Atlanta. As a result, the value of understanding and supporting structured problem solving motivated NBC to integrate the TPM and Sigma methodologies.

The approach was to pilot the concepts on two sites and then roll out to the remaining 11 plants using learnings from the initial implementation. Benin and Ikeja were the two pilot plants – each with unique climate and culture challenges, as well as relatively new equipment interspersed with older lines.

CCI-GrowthCon launched the TPM programme in August 2007 on both sites with Yellow Belt and TPM star projects. These were aligned with the Coke Six Sigma approach and CCI-GrowthCon’s PIP philosophy respectively. Yellow Belt projects were aimed at middle management, the main goal being to deliver quick wins, initiate structured problem-solving and create a platform for recognition. TPM implementation followed in September 2007 with strong emphasis on the Environment Health and Safety, Focused Improvement and Business Centred Maintenance TRACCs, as these areas urgently required stability.

To restore the equipment and develop some history on which to base the BCM strategy, Business Centred Maintenance basics also were implemented. Through training and focused support, the operational review meetings were strengthened to ensure each site had solid multi-disciplinary teams driving daily performance.

While it’s still early days, both plants already have seen significant performance improvements. Currently, Ikeja has five live Yellow Belt projects delivering savings of about USD188,000 a month, while Benin has six live Yellow Belt projects saving close to USD154,000 a month. Project improvements also were noted in changeovers and reduced breakdowns on the Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSD) lines, as well as reduced carbon dioxide, water and caustic usage.

Benin site saw the System Line Efficiency (SLE) of one pilot line (Line 3 – juice line) leap from 47% in September to 61% in December. Across the two sites SLE figures have improved by more than 10% on average.

For each plant the challenge is to sustain the gains, grow and create a climate that engages the workers by instilling pride and passion.