MIY Factory Tour: OE Electrics

Where: OE House, Calder Park, Thomas Maddison Ln, Durkar, Wakefield WF4 3GH
When: Thursday 29th January | 9:00am - 11:45am

Event Overview

OE Electrics is a leading UK manufacturer of power and charging solutions used in workplaces, commercial interiors and education environments around the world. In recent years, the business has undergone a significant operational shift — not through expansion or automation, but through practical, team-driven improvement.

What was once considered a “full” factory has been re-designed to fit operations into around 30% less space while increasing output. In several areas, this has effectively doubled revenue capacity without the need for extensions or new buildings. Productivity gains have followed suit: a redesign of the picking and material flow process delivered a 280% uplift in output with payback in under two weeks, nearly £2m of inventory has been released, and on-time delivery performance now consistently sits at 98–99%.

This tour offers the chance to see the changes behind those numbers — the decisions, the trade-offs, the cultural shifts, and the lessons learned along the way.

What You’ll See on the Tour

Attendees will move through focused points of interest across the factory floor, exploring improvements that have delivered measurable impact, including:

• Space & Layout Re-Design:
  How OE reshaped workspaces, walkways and storage to reduce movement and unlock capacity.

• Team Ownership & Standardised Work:
  The shift in leadership structure and daily routines that strengthened accountability and decision-making.

• Digital Support at the Point of Work:
  Simple, effective use of tablets and visual tools to replace paper-heavy oversight and speed up response.

• SMED in the CNC Area:
  How tool changeovers were reduced from 30–40 minutes to around 40 seconds — freeing up capacity without new machinery.

Tours are delivered in small groups so each point of improvement can be explained clearly and candidly.

Agenda

9:00 AM – 9:45 AM
Arrival, breakfast sandwiches & relaxed networking

9:45 AM – 10:20 AM
Welcome & introduction to OE Electrics

10:20 AM – 11:20 AM
Guided factory tour

11:20 AM – 11:50 PM
Panel discussion & open Q&A

11:50 AM – 12:00 PM
Close and further networking

The Conversation: Challenges, Culture and What’s Next

The panel discussion will bring together members of OE’s leadership and operational teams to explore:

• How initial resistance was addressed and turned into collaboration

• Which changes delivered the greatest return (and which didn’t)

• How improvement is sustained once the “big wins” are achieved

• The next steps in OE’s five-year operational plan

Expect honesty, practicality, and real-world applicability — not slogans, perfection claims or theory.