UK Best Factory Awards nominate Gates as Best Engineering Plant

During the 2008 Best Factory Awards, organised on September 19th by Works Management magazine and Cranfield University School of Management, Gates Power Transmission received the award for Best Engineering Plant in the UK. 

Gates Power Transmission plant in Dumfries is the world’s highest-volume manufacturer of synchronous drive belts both for automotive and industrial applications.  Gates Dumfries employs 390 associates working four shifts round the clock to make 500,000 belts a week.  Half of production goes into the automotive aftermarket, another quarter goes to the automotive original equipment (OE) and the rest is for industrial markets. 

In the last couple of years Gates Dumfries plant has been making remarkable efforts to become a clean and lean factory.  With the introduction of Gates Production System (GPS) in 2004 the amount of waste, the number of defects have improved impressively.  What’s more, GPS has lead directly to operator’s greater pride in their work and their use of standard work to significantly reduce scrap.  Better material flows have added further savings.  The 3.5 days inventory Gates held two and a half year ago is now down to 15 hours and other improvements have reduced the need for working capital.  Unit costs have fallen 3.5% as a result.