The Challenge

To bring about significant improvements in the quality and longevity of pothole repairs, dramatically reducing the failure rate, raising the morale of highways maintenance employees and achieving cost and efficiency savings.

Why change was needed

The old system had a failure rate of 80 per cent. This led to poor staff morale as workers had continually to return to temporary repairs, which meant they failed to achieve daily targets.

What we did

We carried out a thorough analysis of the existing system and made regular site visits to observe and talk to maintenance and repair teams, who are sub-contracted by the council.

Between us we decided on a new Lean approach and instigated permanent pothole fixes first time round, rather than a temporary fill.

We also cut duplicate inspector roles and introduced handheld devices so inspectors can make on-the-spot reports as part of the drive to cut waiting times.

A dedicated fast response team was created to carry out emergency works.

The Results

The failure rate was cut dramatically from 80% to nearly zero, with annual savings of around £400,000 identified.

The teams feel real pride in their work as the overwhelming majority of repairs work first time and they can now achieve daily targets.

The Client Says

“This has really reaped rewards and the figures speak for themselves. As a council we are looking at working smarter, and everyone at the council, Habanero and the contractor deserves a part on the back for this. A real sense of pride has been built in the workforce who can now see the difference they are making.”

Cabinet member for Transport