CDI Holdings · Case Study Library
Mission-Directed Work Teams® · Rosslyn, South Africa — Crown Nampak Division
Bevcan Rosslyn
Sustaining MDW Amidst Restructuring and Technological Change
Beverage Can Manufacturing · Crown Nampak Division · Dual-Union Environment · 4 Production Lines · Most Diverse Plant in the Group
75%
Changeover reduction
24h → 6h (SMED)
24h → 6h (SMED)
1M+
Additional cans/month
capacity added
capacity added
96.8%
Attendance rate
(from 93.6%)
(from 93.6%)
NOSA
5-Star safety
rating achieved
rating achieved
Context
MDW Under Pressure — The Hardest Test
Bevcan Rosslyn — one of Crown Nampak's most diverse can manufacturing plants — undertook an MDW transformation in response to shifting market conditions, global benchmarking, rightsizing pressures, and rapid technological change. Operating with dual-union representation and a legacy structure, the site faced a challenge that goes beyond implementation: sustaining transformation when the operating environment is in flux.
The Challenge
Transformation and Transition, Simultaneously
The site had to maintain MDW momentum, cultural engagement, and ambitious improvement targets while concurrently managing crew redeployment, union negotiations, and technological change. Three crews had to be balanced across four production lines without destroying the natural teams that MDW had built.
The real test of a transformation programme is not whether it works in stable conditions — it is whether it holds when stability is exactly what's missing. Bevcan met this test by keeping the MDW foundation intact — visual systems, natural teams, and structured meetings — and using that foundation to navigate the change rather than suspending it until conditions improved.
The real test of a transformation programme is not whether it works in stable conditions — it is whether it holds when stability is exactly what's missing. Bevcan met this test by keeping the MDW foundation intact — visual systems, natural teams, and structured meetings — and using that foundation to navigate the change rather than suspending it until conditions improved.
The Approach
Building on MDW While the Ground Was Shifting
1
Stakeholder Alignment Before RolloutBuy-in from both unions and management secured at the outset — establishing shared intent before implementation began. In a dual-union environment, this foundation was not optional; it was the condition on which everything else depended.
2
Mini-Business and Visual ManagementGoal alignment, visual tracking, and structured 8-minute daily meetings deployed through a phased module rollout. Team rooms implemented across all lines. Monthly multilevel meetings embedded a consistent communication rhythm across the site.
3
5S and SMED — Visual Workplace and Setup ReductionVisual workplace standards deployed alongside a SMED pilot on Line 1 that reduced changeover time from 24 hours to 6 hours. Advanced audit forms developed from the pilot were subsequently scaled across other lines and production areas.
4
Coaching Through Concurrent RightsizingMDW rollout ran simultaneously with crew redeployment — a deliberate decision that kept the programme live under operational pressure. Goal-aligned coaching, structured audits, and multilevel meetings held performance disciplines intact while 3 crews were balanced across 4 lines.
5
Restoring Trust Through Transparent Stakeholder EngagementNatural teams were transparently identified, rightsizing criteria were agreed with input from both unions, and common purpose was maintained through the transition. MDW did not survive the restructuring despite the difficulty — it provided the structure through which the restructuring was navigated. The outcome was a workforce that had been through the hardest kind of change and emerged with its team identity and improvement culture intact.
Core Challenges
Structural rightsizing and crew redeployment while preserving natural MDW teams.
Low morale and widespread uncertainty during concurrent restructuring.
Union tension in a dual-union environment with flexible staffing pressures.
Balancing 3 crews across 4 production lines without disrupting team identity.
Ambitious targets in quality, cost, and speed maintained throughout the transition.
Results
Delivered Through Disruption
75% Reduction
SMED Changeover
Line 1 changeover reduced from 24 hours to 6 hours. Advanced audit forms scaled the gains across other production lines.
1M+ Cans
Capacity Added
The fallen can eliminator project — a frontline-led innovation — added over 1 million cans per month to Line 1 capacity.
96.8%
Attendance Rate
Improved from 93.6% — a 3.2 percentage point gain reflecting the cultural shift in ownership and team engagement.
NOSA
5-Star Safety Rating
Achieved the NOSA 5-star rating — national recognition for safety management standards and disciplined workplace practice.
100%
Team Rooms Implemented
Full team assignment with team rooms, daily 8-minute meetings, and clear Q, S, C & P objectives across all teams and lines.
Resilient
Culture Through Change
MDW held through dual-union negotiations, crew redeployment, and technology transitions — proving the programme's structural durability.
“
Sustaining MDW through change requires shared intent and mutual respect — not the absence of difficulty. Even in a dual-union, restructuring environment, visual systems and natural teams provide the clarity that informal systems cannot.
Key Insight · Bevcan Rosslyn MDW Programme
Key Insight
Bevcan proves that Mission-Directed Work Teams® holds best when tested hardest. When disruption hits on multiple fronts simultaneously, the visual systems, natural teams, and meeting rhythms of MDW provide the structural clarity and common purpose that informal systems cannot sustain.
