Iittala on the way to IMS 2007-2009
Iittala Group Oyj is part of the international Fiskars group and is a leading Scandinavian design company. Iittala designs, manufactures, markets and sells household and decorative products. The company is a leader in domestic products for the domestic markets of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Strong brands are Arabia, Hackman, Iittala, Fiskars, BodaNova, Höganäs Keramik, Raadvad, Rörstrand, Høyang-Polaris, Kaimano, Montana, and Kitchen Devils. Sales in 2008 were 317 million euros and the company’s staff was approximately 1,800.
Background for building the e-Operating System
The Iittala Group's integration required the creation and use of consistent processes and models for operations. Generally, the idea of building an operating the system starts with the company's senior management, but the Iittala case was just the opposite. Various factories had their own quality management systems in paper binders which resulted in challenges from the version control as well as from the usability point of view. A solution was sought for this problem and the production division suggested acquisition of an electronic operating system.
An operating system which was easy to use and quick to learn was desired so that it would be accessible to everyone at their own level of performance. In addition, something illustrative, close to the processes themselves and having a clear and logical structure was hoped for. It was also desired that the Quality, Environmental and OSH systems be moved under one application into a new operating system.After the assessment of different options, IMS was selected. The project was led by Iittala Environmental Manager Pentti Hytönen and Quality Manager Mika Haapala.
Taking advantage of the system in practice
Currently, the IMS operating system is available in all five of Iittala’s production units in Arabia, Nuutajärvi, Iittala, Sorsakoski and Vähässäkyrössä. At these locations, personnel use it from the factory-floor level right up to the management level.
The system is especially advantageous in production and new staff training. From one place it is easy to find instructions and product specifications. The system makes it possible to view the production process, and, thus, people working in various phases of the manufacturing process can more easily picture the entire manufacturing process and their role in it, "noted Mika Haapala. The future Iittala's goal is to achieve ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification by the end of 2009. With the operating system, further development of the reporting section’s usability and the audit and report process will be continued. Furthermore, the aim is to introduce the system into the product development side of the company's operations and to bring more of the business operations within the scope of the operating system," Haapala concludes.
