In May, with the assistance of USAID’s Economic Resilience Activity (USAID ERA), Nibulon employees took the online training course LEAN Yellow Belt Basic from the Lean Institute in Ukraine. Nibulon requested this course within the framework of the project Workforce Development for Ukraine by the NGO International Foundation of Development.
Nibulon’s 31 course participants obtained skills and tools to increase the value of their products and streamline the process efficiency in their respective departments. Many Nibulon departments were represented, including logistics, elevator operations, trade, IT, technical, agricultural production, and even the Nibulon’s Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Plant.
The training consisted of seven classes and “homework”. At the end of the course, most participants left with ideas on how to improve the work processes in their various departments. Overall, 75% of participants recorded that the course met their expectations, and 25% even said that it exceeded expectations.
Course Take-aways:
- The training helped rethink work processes, reduce losses, and improve productivity.
- The course improved employee skills development and practice enhancement.
- The systematic approach to implementing new technologies such as automatization and modernizing software was highlighted, which ultimately minimizes paperwork.
- The course promoted customer satisfaction by identifying customers’ needs and showed the benefits of being client orientated, which helps to increase value for customers, increase future business, and is good for corporate competitiveness.
- Management processes and increased leadership skills were also core benefits.
“Our sector is now experiencing a global reset of working processes. The main aim is to significantly increase the activity’s efficiency and reduce service costs. This will allow us to provide the best services within the sector at an affordable price. In the training, we learned how to identify, focus, and organize work to eliminate shortcomings in the production process that might lead to financial losses or costs over time. We would like to express our gratitude to partners and continue developing in this direction,” said Serhiy Taran, Director of the Transshipment Grain Terminal in Mykolaiv.
The long-term impact of the training will be tangible in Nibulon’s increased level of efficiency and productivity, their investment in employee’s career development, the introduction of innovative approaches, paying closer attention to the customers’ needs, and applying a systematic approach.