RPL celebrates academy relaunch and first LCS accredited employees
06.10.2023

RPL celebrates academy relaunch and first LCS accredited employees

RPL celebrates academy relaunch and first LCS accredited employees

With more than 10 years of history, Ricoh UK Products Ltd (RPL) is pleased to announce that its Ricoh Way Production System (RWPS) Academy has been re-launched, following its temporary closure during covid.  

As part of the formal re-launch within the business, RPL considered feedback from employees across business areas who wanted the RWPS Academy modules to be externally accredited, to aid personal and professional development. 

The newly launched Academy and dedicated ‘Continuous Improvement Engagement’ module is also accredited by the Lean Competency System (LCS) who are licensed by Cardiff University.  

According to Rob Bland, Continuous Improvement Specialist: “We aim to give employees the skills and knowledge to engage in our philosophy of ‘everyone, every day, doing something a little bit better than yesterday’ to continuously improve the business. 

“In short, it is an introduction to lean manufacturing and lean thinking which aligns with our Kaizen culture at RICOH.” 

He added: “For new employees, it will introduce them to the concept of lean, why we have a continuous improvement culture at RICOH and how they can engage. For longer serving employees, it will act as a refresher through a brand-new module, to inspire and bolster engagement.” 

Last month, RPL celebrated its first six employees completing this ‘CI Engagement’ module and successfully passing LCS Level 1A – the internationally recognised lean workplace-based qualification. 

Congratulations to RPL’s Mark OReilly, Cristina Tatu, Leon Moran, Bismarck Yawson, Yahuza Tanko, and John Kemp, and also to Rob Bland for becoming an accredited LCS trainer.  

RPL is also proud to boast 12 more individuals from Operations who are awaiting their certification. 

The Continuous Improvement Engagement module, which is suitable for all employees, follows the RWPS Academy’s four-part philosophy of Learn, Apply, Sustain and Accredit, including 6.5 hours of course contents, a short assessment of understanding and a requirement to proactively apply the learning through the submission – and successful approval – of Bright Ideas or Good Spots that improve the business.* 

These improvements for Bright Ideas focus on SEQCD recommendations (Safety, Environment, Quality, Cost, Delivery), while for Good Spots, the emphasis is on encouraging employees to be vigilant and raise abnormalities. The scheme promotes the use of human senses to detect problems and act on them, preventing potential more serious issues.   

Congratulations once again to RPL’s first successful cohort, and the business looks forward to offering its RWPS Academy modules and accreditation opportunities to more employees in the coming months. 

*Bright Ideas and Good Spots are two of three internal schemes which form part of Ricoh UK Products Ltd’s ‘Engagement & Recognition Programme’. The programme was founded on the belief that people do not come to work just to maintain the status quo… RPL believes that for employees to realise 'Fulfilment through Work', they must be given to the opportunity to improve the business, improve themselves and be recognised for their efforts.