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Where possible they take advantage of any government funding that is available throughout South Yorkshire for Training and Development.
Horners take a structured approach to training that highlights skills gaps, Personal Development Reviews for all staff are undertaken where the focus is on setting objectives and training and development needs.
Horners have been in partnership with the BPIF since 2003 and offer staff the opportunity to study for an NVQ or a Modern Apprenticeship in Machine Printing, Desk Top Publishing, Print Finishing and Print Administration .and more recently Customer Service.
They also offer Warehouse staff the opportunity to gain an NVQ in Warehousing and Distribution through a local training provider.
Horners have had discussions with Business Impact UK regarding another training initiative to offer an NVQ in Business Improvement Techniques using a structured approach to improve continuously. An improvement team has been put together, from a cross section of staff at all levels within the organisation and with different levels of experience. They are being trained in-house and given the tools and techniques on measuring and collecting data, KPI’s, 5S’s and 7 wastes and have started to undertake three business improvement projects. If this is a success the programme will be rolled out across the company.
How does Horners quantify the benefits of their training development? Some of the key performance indicators used are:
- Reduced waste such as skips to landfill
- Energy usage
- Quality
- Operator efficiency
Horners carry out bi-annual attitude surveys and have received excellent feedback from Individuals who left school with no qualifications and are really proud of their achievements which in turn improves staff morale. At the Personal Development Reviews, individuals discuss what training they require and they have the confidence to ask about training opportunities and also put forward suggestions through our “Bright Ideas” Suggestion Scheme.
Finally Horners have a Centre of Excellence Board and all the certificates staff have achieved are on show within the factory. As at today 47 members of staff have achieved or are currently studying for a formal qualification.
September 2009
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The British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF) is the principal business support organisation representing the UK print industry. It offers numerous practical solutions for all areas of a print organisation, such as Health & Safety, Environmental and Quality issues. This is all delivered by individuals and teams of highly skilled, experienced print industry specialists.
In 2006 Horners invited the BPIF to carry out an external Health & safety Healthcheck report with the aim of benchmarking our Health and safety management systems against current UK health and safety legislation and good practice within the print industry. They achieved a score of 92% in the healthcheck report, an outstanding fisrt attempt.
As with most audits of this kind feedback was provided, which highlighted several opportunities for improvement. This resulted in additional measures being implemented in several areas, Transport & Traffic Routes, Chemical use, Noise at Work, Working at Height, Control of machinery & associated hazards, Training, and Manual Handling.
Horners invited the BPIF back to carry out another Healthcheck safety report in October 2009. A thorough site visit together with a comprehensive survey of our H&S systems was carried out by the BPIFs leading HSE specialist. This resulted in a score of 96%, a hard fought for improvement of 4% on the last healthcheck. This was an excellent achievement which amply demonstrates the commitment in providing employees & visitors alike with a safe and healthy working environment.
June 2009
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Horner Brothers, the Rotherham based print solutions provider, supply BT with full stock management services, personalised stationery, print on demand and an in house developed fully interactive website through which products are ordered. BT’s products cross 8 different brands so brand compliance is extremely important and is controlled and monitored by HBPG to the stringent guidelines set by BT. Personalised products are ordered and proofed by BT via Horner Brothers’ custom built website. HBPG produce an average of 730 personalised products every month for BT.
BT’s Tony Aitken said “BT sets great store by having reliable, innovative suppliers. Horner Brothers has always been a company that is true to its word. The service over the years has been fantastic, they have always delivered what they say they are going to deliver and are a first class supplier to BT.’’
Judith Fox, Managing Director at Horner Brothers said “We are delighted that BT has taken the decision to extend the contract and we will be working closely with them to ensure that further opportunities for cost reduction and service enhancement are delivered.”
May 2009
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A Xerox iGen3 digital press has been installed to sit alongside the 21 litho presses already in situ at the Rotherham based firm. Horner Brothers decided on the Xerox press after 18 months of tests and comparisons with other digital providers. “Our customer base is dominated by blue chip names for whom we manage to very stringent brand requirements. It was essential that the selected digital press could run alongside our existing litho presses and deliver the same levels of quality.’ Initially some work will be converted from litho to digital and the new iGen will be particularly suited to sit behind the company’s in house web ordering platform delivering short run personalised products.
Initial customer feedback has been positive and BT, who were HBPG’s first Blue Chip customer some 18 years ago, became the first major client to sign off the transfer of business cards being printed litho to digital. Tony Aitken of BT visited the site to see the new kit first hand and witnessed the slick process by keying in his order, watching it being printed and then cut and boxed all within an hour.
Managing Director, Judith Fox said “the conversion of business cards to digital makes commercial sense for us and our customers, however this investment will do much more than business cards and enable us to broaden the range of products produced in house. There are a number of exciting opportunities which are being pursued using the iGen as part of the solution.
September 2008
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Members of staff were given the afternoon off work to unwind and take part in a variety of activities. Teams were mixed by department which meant that work colleagues had the opportunity to interact with staff from around the company. At the end of the afternoon winners were declared and medals awarded to the jubilant team. Celebrations continued well into the evening with food, music and fireworks.
Managing Director Judith Fox said “Overall feedback from staff was that the day was a huge success. Everyone got into the competitive spirit and had a lot of fun.”
As part of the day Horner Brothers also organised a raffle prize draw, and all proceeds were donated to the local Rotherham Hospice. Staff were successful in raising a total of £1,250, which will be used to directly benefit patients and their families.
November 2007
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