Howdens Continues to Innovate with ShireSystem

Background

Howdens is a leading manufacturer and supplier of kitchens in the UK, with five major manufacturing facilities, including its main site in Howden. These sites support more than 900 depots nationwide.

This scale pf operations brought challenges. Each manufacturing site had evolved its own way of doing things, which resulted in inconsistent practices, inefficiencies, and unnecessary complexity. Systems intended to support productivity, such as stock inventory, were often seen as difficult to use. Engineers spent too much time navigating complex workflows, and key information was frequently missed or duplicated.

Josh Pooley, Group Systems and Standards, was tasked with changing that. He is part of a newly formed team focused on standardising maintenance processes across the group, improving system usage, and helping the workforce do their jobs more effectively.

The Challenge

Although Howdens already use a system for stock inventory management, it proved difficult for maintenance engineers to use. Tasks like issuing a part involved up to 17 separate steps. Searching for items was time-consuming, and gaining access was a common frustration for teams working round the clock.

Josh explained, “The process of issuing a part took 17 steps. The unfriendly user interface made it difficult to access and search for parts. It made a simple task very frustrating.”

As a result, parts were often taken without being booked out, or handwritten notes were left for stores to process later. Over time, this contributed to stock discrepancies, longer repair times, and a rise in unplanned downtime.

Howdens needed a way to make issuing parts faster, easier and more consistent. They knew that the ShireSystem, which had been in place for 15 years, could be better utilised and integrated with the current system via the materials module.

Why ShireSystem Was the Logical Choice

Whilst Howdens explored other options for their integration, the decision to choose ShireSystem made complete sense.

Several key factors made ShireSystem the right choice for Howdens:

• Familiarity among users, which reduced change fatigue and training requirements
• Integration capabilities, allowing ShireSystem to act as the front-end user interface while the current system remained the master and system of record
• A flexible, collaborative partner, with the ShireSystem team providing clear guidance and practical solutions throughout

As Josh explained, “The language used in the data world between both systems was aligned, so it turned out to be easier than we initially thought.”

He also credited part of the success of the integration to the collaboration with the ShireSystem support and development team, who worked closely with the Howdens team throughout, ensuring everything was explained, and offering alternatives when needed.

The Solution

The new process, now rolled out across all five manufacturing sites, places ShireSystem at the centre of maintenance operations.

If a breakdown occurs:

1. Engineers scan a QR code on the machine using Mobile Pro to raise the issue.
2. They access machine drawings instantly and identify the part required.
3. Using the wildcard search, they find the part in the system, along with its storage location.
4. They scan and issue the part directly from their mobile device.

This four-step process has replaced a much longer and more fragmented one, making life easier for engineers on the ground. “Everything’s available on the phone now,” said Josh. “Before, you had to walk from the machine to the workshop, log into a computer, search for the part, walk to the stores, issue the part, and then walk back to the machine. That could take on average 20 minutes each time an item was needed.”

The Results

Although the project is still in its early stages, the impact is already clear:

• 4 hours saved on average per week from issuing of stock
• 13 hours saved on average per week from searching for stock
• A single-day spot check showed a potential 2 hours of downtime saved
• Consistent processes across all manufacturing sites
• Improved user experience, even among those less familiar with technology

Feedback from teams has been positive across the group. “One technician, who is usually quite hard to impress, told us it was fantastic,” said Josh. “Overall, it’s been received really well, the change and appetite was definitely a challenging one, but I think this has been overcome.”

Looking Ahead

The integration of ShireSystem has transformed Howdens’ stock management capabilities. With faster processes, improved mobile capability, and greater visibility across sites, the business is in a much stronger position to support its growth strategy.

Future-proof your maintenance operations; book your ShireSystem demo to run planned maintenance using our market-leading CMMS software.