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And the winner is...Flughafen Zurich and Implement Consulting Group

Implement Consulting Group wins prestigious Swiss consulting award

Authors

Flughafen Zurich AG and Implement Consulting Group won the prestigious ASCO Award 2018 for Best Business Transformation in Switzerland. We are delighted and proud to receive this award for the Continuous Improvement Project in the “Large International Consultancy” category.

How did we achieve this?

In order to achieve a massive expansion and performance improvement, Zurich Airport looked into several large-scale construction investments such as the new Circle offices and shops and a new baggage sorting system. Simultaneously, it was clear to airport management that there was huge potential for increasing efficiency, assuring quality and improving employee and management flexibility in a set of very heterogeneous operational processes.

At the end of 2015, the airport began a continuous improvement programme, "CI". The programme was based on the Kaizen method, where mixed teams create and implement operational optimisations in sprints that are short, compact and employee-based. The teams were closely supported by key stakeholders.

In the more than 60 Kaizen workshops conducted at the airport, they achieved significant changes in leadership behaviour, performance orientation and employee communication. More than 200 employees and leaders were trained and numerous visualisations, standardisations and flow optimisations were realised.

Along with enthusiastic employees and more satisfied customers at the airport, the programme is creating an annually recurring financial benefit of CHF 1.6m.

What project participants say about their experience

Markus Poguntke, workshop participant: In my view, it is a very elegant methodology and it’s very well-suited to question existing processes to find and test whether initiatives can succeed in a simple, almost playful way, to make sense of them and to have them implemented quickly.

Alessandro Camisani, Head of CI Programme: Implement Consulting Group significantly contributed to the fact that Flughafen Zürich AG was able to introduce the correct, flexible and frequently applicable basic principles and vessels, thus building anchored internal improvement excellence, which is supported by employees at all levels. The employees have recognised the importance of valuable, small and frequent improvements, which can be initiated and implemented by themselves, and that a constructive attitude of change supports the future of our company.