EM maintains and operates the motorways and trunk roads networks for the Highways Agency in the North West (Area 13), Central Southern (Area 3) and the South West (Area 1) of England.
Last year EM became the first company within the Highways Maintenance Sector to be awarded the BS11000 certification when supported by industry experts Martin Duffy and Jim Towey its Highways Agency Area 3 MAC achieved this distinction. They did this by being able to demonstrate the creation of those successful, sustainable collaborative relationships that enable companies to develop and manage interactions with other organisations to provide maximum benefit for all.
Now, the BS11000 certifying body has recommended that EM extends the scope of its certification within Area 3, and to its two other HA MACs.
EM’s MAC 1 is recommended for the BS1000 accreditation with five named partners, whilst Area 13 is recommended with seven.
Within Area 3, the scope of certification has been extended to now include 13 named partners.
Dave Wright, managing director said: “Real efficiencies come from the identification and elimination of waste - duplication of resources, processes that add cost and no value, the absence of planning, unnecessary bureaucracy and delayed decision making. Collaboration helps us to deliver a lean integrated supply chain to maximise efficiencies and reduce waste. This is a culture we embrace at EM and the formal standard is a tool we are now utilising on our other major contracts and will continue to do so in the future.”
Since we began our effective, collaborative engagement with the supply chain in MAC 3, EM has seen a 65 per cent reduction of live carriageway crossings –that’s more than 35,000 per year - by its operatives.
James Haluch, EM’s HA service director and BS11000 project director said:
“We recognised the value of adopting this structured approach to collaboration and of developing a framework for its use. This has made a real difference to the safety of our workforce and at the same time resulted in cost savings to the taxpayer.”
Now that certification has been recommended for its Highways Agency contracts, EM is expanding involvement to its other contracts in TfL, and local government boroughs. The intention is to embed collaborative working right across the EM business so that it truly is at the heart of ‘business as usual’ and a prime strategy in driving EM forward.
Mike Wilson HA Regional Director South West which includes MAC 1 added:
“The strategic road network in the southwest not only provides access for residents and businesses throughout the region but also to a significant influx of holiday makers particularly through the summer months.
“The challenges this represents are significant and I am convinced that the safe and effective management of this network has been enhanced by EM working collaboratively with our own team and the wider supply chain.
“The formal recognition of this collaborative working has now manifested itself in the form of successful certification against the requirements of BS11000 and the robust and systematic approach required by the standard will help us all to deliver a service which continually improves during the life of the contract’
Dave Grunwell HA Regional Director for the North West said:
“I recognise that BS11000 is a relatively new standard that is focused on organisations working together to deliver new value that they would not be able to deliver alone. For this reason I was delighted to support EM, our Managing Agent Contractor (MAC) in Area 13, to develop joint working practices aimed at delivering our own strategic objectives by a far stronger integrated approach between client, provider and supply chain. As a requirement of the standard, we have established Joint Improvement Teams consisting of EM, HA and the wider supply chain to focus on certain initiatives that should enhance service. The robust approach of the audit function to maintain BS11000 will ensure we all remain focused on doing the right things, and doing them well.”
