Onsite Insights: Learning from some of the best to make amazing happen!
At RS, we believe that excellence isn’t a destination – it’s a journey helping us to deliver on our purpose – making amazing happen for a better world! And one of the most powerful ways to accelerate this journey is by learning from others who are leading the way, specifically with regards to Continuous Improvement (CI). CI drives organisations to always look for ways to make things better – step by step, every day, in every part of the business.
And this is the spirit behind Onsite Insights, a dynamic programme of visits to award-winning companies practicing CI, where theory takes a back seat and real-world best practice drives the conversation.
Ian Munday, Head of Operational Excellence CoE shares: “Here at RS, CI is core to delivering operational excellence … it’s not just about delivering projects but helping to develop the organisational mindset of ‘what can I do today to make tomorrow better”.
From aerospace innovators to rail infrastructure giants, recent visitors to our RS Nuneaton site have included big British brands, (some of which are our customers and suppliers), Aerospace, Humiseal Europe, Salts, Thorlabs, WM Trains, Lear Corporation, Network Rail, Thomas Dudley, Culina, and Sellafield. Representatives of these companies have recently been taken inside our operations to see how we have been investing in CI, talking and engaging with our people who put the simple fixes into practice, and getting a feel for what great improvements can look like!
“Mind you,” Wayne Bishop, Nuneaton’s Outbound Operation Manager says “while it’s always a privilege to showcase what we are doing, it’s also a fantastic opportunity for learning and sharing ideas. These immersive experiences help to showcase different industries coming together to witness excellence in action, ask questions, and sharing great ideas that spark change. While we are able to demonstrate how CI drives excellence and efficiencies within RS, we also learn from our visitors, who share their experiences with us as well!
Onsite Insights isn’t just about seeing what we do! It’s about sharing, learning, and growing together. The global Continuous Improvement (CI) community thrives on collaboration, not competition. Every organisation is on its own journey, and by opening our doors, we invite others to see ours – warts and wins alike.
“We recently hosted Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) on one of these visits, and it was through this visit, that we were able to understand some of their pain points and challenges, and together through various interventions we were able collaborate and find the right people in RS Group to face into this challenge”, said Katie Holyoak, Operational Excellence Governance Manager.
Specifically for our CI Teams in RS, these visits have provided:
- Some brilliant external feedback from seasoned CI professionals
- Benchmarking opportunities to measure our progress.
- Professional observations that help us refine and elevate our practices.
- A chance to showcase our teams and celebrate their achievements.
- A platform to share challenges and successes with honesty and pride.
Real feedback. Real impact. Real RS. What our visitors told us post their visit:
- “Fantastic use of automation.”
- “Great insight into RS and how things are done.”
- “The employee engagement was a highlight—real and relatable.”
- “Highly recommend the visit.”
Living Our Values Through Onsite Insights
These visits aren’t just operational – they’re cultural. They reflect and reinforce the values that define RS:
- Make Every Day Better: Fresh perspectives spark new ideas that improve how we work and how we serve.
- Deliver Brilliantly: Seeing excellence firsthand helps us adopt proven methods and raise our own performance.
- We Are One Team: Cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing build stronger relationships and a unified approach.
- We Do the Right Thing: Learning from others helps us make informed, ethical decisions that drive meaningful improvement.
Mayuri Patel, who helps lead our CI practice in action at Nuneaton says: “Perhaps the most powerful impact of Onsite Insights is the pride it instils. When visitors walk through our doors here at Nuneaton and recognise and commend our people, it’s a moment of recognition that resonates. It’s a reminder that the work our teams are doing every day is not only valuable – it’s inspiring!” she says.
Similar initiatives have also taken place Bad Hersfeld Distribution Centre, where visitors from JLR, Mars and Abbots worked with our DC team to identify ergonomic improvements in the Interco Processing and Electronics areas. There were also opportunities to explore sharing best practice ideas, challenges and success stories on how to best embed company calues and to grow the CI, Performance and EH&S culture at the site.
So, here’s to the doers, the thinkers, the improvers. Every visit is a step forward on our journey to make amazing happen at RS.
Our next visit, for more information or to book CLICK HERE
About Onsite Insights
Established in 2004, the Onsite Insights visit program exists to encourage the sharing of innovation and best practice between companies. This is achieved through a series of one day visits to award winning companies where visitors get to see best practice in action. No theory, no text book, just what works and why from organizations that have achieved success.
For More Information contact:
Jim Brydon
Programme Manager
Onsite Insights
Jim.Brydon@sapartners.com