CDI Holdings · Case Study Library
MDW® & SAMS Methodology · Romont, Switzerland
Schoeller Allibert Romont, Switzerland
Embedding a Culture of Problem Solving in a High-Precision Plant
Returnable Packaging Manufacturing · 24/7 Operation · 9 Injection Moulding Machines · 3 Finishing Units · 4,000 Tonnes Annually
11%
Machine downtime
reduction
reduction
3+
Improvement ideas per
employee per year
employee per year
10 mo
Implementation
timeframe
timeframe
3
Levels MDW alignment:
MBU to executive
MBU to executive
Context
Competent Operations, Untapped Potential
The Romont plant has operated as a 24/7 manufacturing facility since its founding in 1968. Running 9 injection moulding machines and 3 finishing units with a team of 45, the site produces over 4,000 tonnes of returnable packaging annually. Technically advanced and operationally stable, Romont was not in crisis — it was at a ceiling.
Where the Nurieux plant required trust to be rebuilt from the ground up, Romont required something different: a systematic methodology to convert existing capability into a daily culture of structured problem solving and shared ownership.
Where the Nurieux plant required trust to be rebuilt from the ground up, Romont required something different: a systematic methodology to convert existing capability into a daily culture of structured problem solving and shared ownership.
The Challenge
Reactive to Systematic — The Gap That Mattered
Despite solid fundamentals, recurring machine downtime and disconnected improvement efforts revealed a capability gap. Problems were being fixed; they were not being solved. Leadership wanted more than reactive maintenance — they wanted improvement embedded as a daily discipline, owned across every function and level.
“SAMS has to be the way we do our job every day.”
“SAMS has to be the way we do our job every day.”
The Approach
SAMS — Making Structured Thinking a Daily Habit
1
Three-Level MDW Goal AlignmentMDW structure deployed across three levels: MBUs led by operators, supported by business managers, and coached by executives at MDT3/4. Cascaded objectives with visual alignment from CEO to shop floor ensured every team understood its contribution to site-level performance targets.
2
Trigger-Target-Metric Downtime FrameworkEach function — production, technical, mould shop, maintenance — tracked its own downtime through a trigger-target-metric methodology linking machine performance directly to team KPIs and structured improvement targets. Root cause analysis was embedded within daily team routines, not delegated upward.
3
Problem-Solving Hubs in Every FunctionDedicated problem-solving spaces created within each functional area — permanent, visible, and team-owned. These hubs gave structured thinking a physical home, signalling that problem-solving was not an occasional event but part of the daily rhythm of each team’s working life.
4
Mandatory Training via Mini-Lean ModulesAll team leaders received mandatory training in structured problem-solving tools. Mini-Lean Modules (MLMs) reinforced learning using real problems from the site rather than hypothetical examples — ensuring capability built in context and applied immediately.
5
Three Ideas Per Person Per Year — A Cultural BenchmarkA site-wide standard of three improvement ideas per employee per year was established as a cultural benchmark — not a quota to fill, but an expectation that everyone, at every level, is continuously observing, thinking, and contributing. This single metric shifted the definition of who owns improvement at Romont: not specialists, not managers, but every person on the floor. When improvement is everyone’s responsibility, innovation becomes an organisational habit.
The Starting Point
Recurring machine downtime without systematic root cause resolution across functions.
Improvement efforts disconnected between production, technical, mould shop, and maintenance.
Problem-solving concentrated in specialists rather than distributed across all teams.
No structured daily routines linking team performance to KPIs and strategic targets.
Leadership appetite for improvement culture but no system to sustain it below management level.
Outcomes — Within Ten Months
From Reactive Fixes to a Problem-Solving Culture
11%
Downtime Reduction
Machine downtime reduced by 11% as root cause analysis and cross-functional ownership replaced reactive repair cycles.
Owned
Cross-Functional KPIs
Production, technical, mould shop, and maintenance each tracking and owning their downtime contribution — aligned through MBU teams.
Hubs
Dedicated Problem Spaces
Permanent, functional problem-solving hubs created in every department — giving structured improvement a visible, daily physical presence.
3+
Ideas Per Person Per Year
High employee participation sustained across the site — with every employee contributing to the improvement culture, not just specialists.
Proactive
Maintenance Mindset
Shift from reactive maintenance to proactive system improvement embedded at team level as a daily discipline.
Habit
Structured Thinking
Problem-solving tools moved from training room to daily routine — applied to real problems, by the teams who own them.
“
We didn’t just apply tools. We created a space where structured thinking became a habit.
Site Leadership · Schoeller Allibert Romont · MDW & SAMS Implementation
Key Insight
Romont demonstrates that problem-solving is not a specialist skill — it is an organisational discipline. When tools, spaces, rhythms, and expectations align, every employee becomes a source of improvement. Mission-Directed Work Teams® and the SAMS methodology make this possible by designing the system so that structured thinking is simply how the work gets done.
