Small factory, big ideas – how a visit to a UK timber manufacturer provides lessons in productivity.
Bringing the timber industry together has been a top priority for the MiTek Baltics team this year – creating opportunities to share ideas, spark collaboration, and drive progress in timber manufacturing. As part of this strategy, the team invited customers to sign up and join them on a knowledge-sharing trip to the UK.
The goal? To see MiTek solutions in action and exchange ideas at one of the UK’s leading timber manufacturers, Crendon Timber Engineering.
The outcome? Fresh thinking, valuable conversations, and practical ideas already making their way into Baltic factories. Here’s how the trip went…
Experiencing real-world projects
It was a short visit and there was a lot to cover so the day started with a full tour of Crendon’s manufacturing facility. It was a great opportunity to see how the team delivers prefabricated roof and floor structures using MiTek Posi-Joists and connector systems from the factory. The second part of the experience included a visit to an active construction site, where they could witness the end-to-end process; from factory floor to finished building.
For many of the group, both trips were fascinating, but the factory visit was a real eye-opener. They were really impressed by Crendon’s productivity. The factory isn’t that big, but the level of organisation, the way the site handles planning, production, and information flow was all very impressive.
Conversations around manufacturing and market activity in the UK and the Baltics carried on well into the evening over dinner and drinks.
Key learnings
There were three key takeaways from the trip:
- IT and process management: The Crendon factory visit made it clear to the group that robust operational plans and systems around things like shift patterns and floorplan management, along with the implementation of the right digital tools, can help boost productivity and capability in a factory, even in a small space with limited staff.
- Shared challenges: Many of the clients recognised that quality control (around timber quality for example) and supply chain issues are not unique to the Baltics, but mirror those in the UK.
- Different approaches: Seeing how projects are delivered in another country helped challenge assumptions and opened minds to alternative methods of working.
Several of the visiting clients have since begun discussing ways to implement new factory processes, inspired by what they saw in the UK.
Building lasting connections
At MiTek Baltics, we’re always looking for opportunities to support our customers through collaboration and knowledge sharing and this visit highlighted the value of connecting, not just with people in your own regional industry, but across borders too.
The trip was motivating and inspiring and many of our clients have told us that they’re already looking forward to the next trip.
If you’d like to be part of a future knowledge exchange or hear more about what’s coming next, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us today.
