Idea management: from a discontinued suggestion scheme to lived participation
How a plastics processor replaced a dormant suggestion scheme with modern idea management – delivering measurable savings and renewed employee participation.
At one plastics processing production site, the company suggestion scheme had effectively ground to a halt over the years: too complex, too rigid, too many stakeholders involved. In 2024, a new idea management system was introduced at this site to reactivate creativity and employee participation across all levels. After a start-up phase lasting several months and initial resistance, the system became established. In the end, the measurable results were net savings of around €80,000 per year as well as noticeably stronger identification with the company and greater workforce involvement.
Project at a glance
- Project: Introduction of idea management
- Client: A production site of a plastics processing company (anonymized)
- Industry: Plastics processing
- Company data: Site of an established industrial company in the manufacturing industry
- Project objective: Reactivation of creativity and employee participation across all areas and levels; unlocking hidden optimization and savings potential; improving occupational safety, ergonomics, and the working environment
- Role: Sponsor and promoter; responsible for budget, framework conditions, and resources
- Result: Net savings of around €80,000 per year; stronger identification with and involvement of the workforce
Initial situation
The site had a works agreement for the company suggestion scheme that was no longer up to date. The system had neither been used nor actively practiced for years. It was seen as too complicated and too rigid, involved too many stakeholders, and was tied to co-determination issues on the part of the works council. In practice, this meant that the instrument that was actually supposed to create participation had effectively ground to a halt.
[INSERT IMAGE: Reference to the “Initial Situation” section]
The reality behind the target vision
The target state was clear: a vibrant idea management system that creates participation, personal responsibility, and identification. The reality during implementation initially looked different. There was resistance from the works council, and it took several months before most employees accepted the new system.
Success brought a new tension: once successfully established, there were regularly more good suggestions than there were resources – time and money – available for prompt implementation. The case shows how important it can be to keep such a system actively alive: continuous feedback on the status of submitted ideas, visible recognition of successes, and ongoing internal communication to keep the idea pipeline filled.
[INSERT IMAGE: Reference to the section “The Reality Behind the Target Vision”]
Approach and solution
The new idea management system was firmly integrated into the existing leadership and communication structure. Shopfloor management (SFM) and established regular meetings served as the platforms where ideas were made visible and could be worked on. An organizational development manager (OD manager) took over coordination. A management team – including the chair of the works council – acted as the jury for the awarded idea of the month and of the year. Awarded and implemented ideas were consistently made visible across all communication channels.
The role in this approach was that of sponsor and promoter: responsible for the budget, framework conditions, and provision of the necessary resources – in other words, for the prerequisites under which the system could become sustainable in the first place.
Key measures
- Anchoring in shopfloor management (SFM) as the operational platform
- Use of established regular meetings to review and make ideas visible
- OE manager (organizational development) as the central coordinator
- Management team, including the chair of the works council, as the jury for the awarded idea of the month and the year
- Visibility of awarded and implemented ideas across all communication channels
[INSERT IMAGE: Reference to the section “Approach and Solution” as well as “Key Measures”]
Result
The solid result was a net saving of around €80,000 per year. In addition, stronger employee identification as well as visible pride and active involvement became apparent. Over the course of the project, strong initiatives also emerged to improve occupational safety, ergonomics, and processes.
What exactly was present
- Net savings of around €80,000 per year
- Stronger identification, pride, and active involvement of employees
- Concrete projects to improve occupational safety, ergonomics, and processes
[INSERT IMAGE: Reference to the “Result” section]
Client quote
“At last, our suggestions are being heard again and something is actually happening!”
Anonymized
What this success story shows about PRECI
This case represents what PRECI stands for in mid-sized manufacturing: not cosmetically reviving a dormant instrument, but embedding it robustly in leadership, organization, and operations. Participation, change, and implementation proximity go hand in hand here – including a realistic approach to resistance and to the question of how a system, once established, remains effective over the long term. This connects strategy, organization, leadership, and execution into a result that decision-makers can understand and follow.
A similar challenge?
Do you have a tool that exists on paper but no longer works in day-to-day practice – whether in your suggestion scheme, employee participation, or your processes? Let us clarify in a confidential conversation what is causing it and which courses of action are sustainable. Get in touch with us.
