Partner of The Human Element® Helps Build Teams at Unilever's Brazilian Plant
The Unilever Brazilian plant, located at Indaiatuba (Sao Paulo), produces powdered detergent. By the end of 1993, Indaiatuba plant started a program called "Transformation Project," creating factories and reducing hierarchical levels. It was a period of great controversy. 450 employees are distributed in four factories: Sulphonation, Process, Packing and Distribution.
“Sulphonation” means the production of sulphonic acid, the main raw material of liquid and powdered detergents. For technical reasons, the sulphonation equipment can never be turned off. It is an area that works 24 hours a day. The sulphonic acid is a very important product for Unilever. It supplies the production needs in its line of detergents. It is worth pointing out that Unilever leads the sulphonic segment in Brazil.
From 1982 to 1993, the sulphonation factory had technical and relational problems among the equipment operators. In 1995, new products, technology, raw materials and production systems unbalanced the routine, increasing the difficulties in all levels.
In 1996, a new manager was assigned to the sulphonation factory. Relational problems and distrust impeded the production increase.
Characteristics such as physical distance from the plant, different time schedule and low school degree of the team made the communication problems even worse. Team members felt excluded by the rest of the plant. They were compared to a "gunpowder barrel."
Partnership with Marcondes
The new manager asked Marcondes & Consultores Associados, a partner of Business Consultants Network, to create for the shop floor a three-day course of The Human Elementmethodology. It was a version of "The Human Element" seminar (five days) that managers had already experienced with good results.
This version, created to meet the needs of the Sulfonation Team, was named Empowered People, Productive Teams. The group understood the concepts quite quickly and showed great disposition to change. They began to solve relationship problems that had persisted for more than five years. The training was made at the right moment. People felt the need to reestablish trust among them to improve the work atmosphere.
