The gray day in the region matched his mood as Dave Newland, Area Team Leader for the Wellington Division of Firth Industries, Limited, contemplated what to do about delivery vehicle productivity. Even the Hutt River seemed darker than usual as he mulled over the problem of simultaneously satisfying customers and satisfying headquarters. He had recently been notified by the corporate office that the trucks he used to deliver ready-mix concrete to his customers were not as productive as those used by some of the sister divisions nor were they as productive as they had been in the past. Over the past several months, construction activity had declined substantially and the demand for concrete had been shrinking. Facing this kind of market, it was very clear that responding to customer needs was critical. Although truck efficiency was important, he was concerned that focusing on efficiency might detract from customer service thereby leading to more order cancellations. Dave already had more of those than he wanted.

Company background

Firth Industries Limited, a fully-owned subsidiary of Fletcher Challenge Limited, is a major supplier of concrete and concrete products throughout New Zealand. The company traces its beginnings back to Josiah Clifton Firth who arrived in New Zealand in 1856. He decided that Auckland needed a modern flourmill, but chose to first build a brick-making factory to provide the bricks. The company's logo ‘Leading by Design’ stems from this entrepreneurial approach to problem solving.