£200k savings and productivity boost for leading equipment supplier
17th March 2026 | 2 min read
The Challenge
A UK-wide supplier of tools, plant, and hire equipment with over 320 branches needed to improve the performance of their engineering centres and mobile engineer teams. The maintenance and repair support provided to customer sites was inconsistent and often unmonitored, leading to poor customer experiences and product exchanges or refunds.
The company also needed to prepare for regulatory changes that would prevent inspections of large plant items from being conducted by the same staff who support engineering maintenance. They sought a new, unified approach that would be adopted across their three business divisions.
The Solution
Unipart’s diagnostic review identified core inefficiencies within the company’s engineering centres; specifically, fragmented management and a lack of standardised processes. By engaging stakeholders in value-stream mapping, the organisation established a baseline foundation of standard work. This consistency enabled precise employee skills assessments and targeted coaching to bridge the identified gaps. To maintain these gains, an inspection team was formed to ensure rigorous adherence to standards both in branches and on-site.
Management was further optimised through the implementation of KPIs and visual management tools. A structured meeting rhythm ensured performance was monitored daily, allowing for rapid issue escalation. Simultaneously, Unipart centralised the company’s operations by creating a national mobile engineering office. This single point of contact utilised a tablet-based management system to coordinate services, optimise field performance, and enhance the overall customer experience.
The Impact
The following benefits were realised within 12 months of implementation:
- 14% increase in engineer productivity
- 30% increase in jobs completed within the four-hour target
- £232,000 in potential savings identified by reducing maintenance fleet inventory
- Overdue examinations reduced from 8% to 0.24% (increasing available inventory)
- Engineer first-time fix increased from 71% to 81.3%
- 12% reduction in breakdowns requiring engineer visit
To find out more about our services and reach out to the team to see how we can enhance productivity in your operations, contact us.
