Productivity Programs
High productivity is a factor in WACKER’s success. WACKER boosts productivity along the entire supply chain via its Wacker Operating System (WOS) program. Our goal is to continue reducing specific operating costs every year. WOS results are regularly reported to the Executive Board.
2017 and 2018 saw the implementation of more than 1,300 projects at our operational business and corporate departments. Some 900 of these concerned operations, with the corporate departments accounting for 400.
The focus of WOS during the reporting period was on improving:
- Plant utilization levels
- Specific energy consumption
- Raw-material yields
- Labor productivity
- Specific maintenance costs
In 2017, labor productivity improved by 6 percent across all WACKER plants. Specific operating costs fell 6 percent, with specific maintenance costs dropping 5 percent. Specific energy consumption within operations fell by more than 3 percent in 2017.
Higher energy prices and lower volume increases meant that specific operating costs rose 1 percent in 2018 and that the business divisions were unable to improve labor productivity or specific maintenance costs. On average, specific energy consumption within operations fell by almost 3 percent in 2018.
In the period under review, the WOS measures implemented made a business value contribution of some €140 million.
During the two-year reporting period, the WOS ACADEMY held courses at which over 200 employees were trained in new productivity methods, such as Six Sigma and LEAN. In addition to this training, we carried out projects aimed at reducing specific costs.