Scaling with Structure: Supporting Digital Growth at Olives Et Al
Olives Et Al is a Dorset-based, family-owned speciality food producer providing authentic food from across the regions where the olive tree grows. Founded over 30 years ago by Giles Henschel following a motorcycle journey with his wife, the business has developed, sourced and supplied an extensive range of award-winning products.
The Challenge
As part of its ongoing growth strategy, Olives Et Al invested in a new manufacturing facility to expand its operational capacity. This significant step provided an ideal opportunity to review how the wider business operated and ensure that its internal systems were ready to support continued expansion.
The Support
Olives Et Al accessed support through Business Growth Dorset’s Scale-Up Smart Tech Programme, delivered by SWMAS.
The support began with an initial consultation to identify priorities, followed by attendance at an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) overview event and a series of technology awareness webinars. These sessions helped build the team’s understanding of available digital technology solutions and how they could support operational improvement.
An on-site Digital Review was then carried out to assess the scale of the challenge and clarify the business’s system requirements. This was followed by a facilitated workshop to create a comprehensive Current State Map of the end-to-end business process, covering activities from customer order through to supplier engagement.
During the workshop, the team also received training in Lean Principles and the Theory of Constraints. This helped them better understand process flow, identify bottlenecks and recognise opportunities for improvement.
To further broaden the impact, SWMAS also supported the business through the Made Smarter programme and introduced the team to Yeovil College to explore the potential use of immersive digital technology in planning the layout of the new facility.
The Outcomes
The programme enabled the business to develop a fully mapped end-to-end view of its business support processes, highlighting key information flows, constraints and operational inefficiencies.
The review also helped clearly identify improvement opportunities and define the digital systems that will be required to support future operations. Through webinars, events and site visits, the team gained greater awareness of the smart technologies available to them and increased confidence in selecting suitable third-party technology providers.
Future Plans
With a clearer understanding of its processes and digital requirements, Olives Et Al is now well positioned to implement scalable systems that will support its continued growth and we will continue to provide guidance and expertise as the business progresses on its digital transformation journey.
“While Olives Et Al will always remain a people-focused business, it is important that we continue to evolve and ensure we have the right systems, tools, and processes in place. This enables our team to develop the skills they need and make the best use of their time. The support has played a significant role in supporting us on this journey.”
Adam Harvey, Head of Procurement and Logistics
“I’ve really loved working with Olives Et Al. They are so passionate about their product and their heritage which is reflected in everything they do. Giles, is a truly inspirational leader and has built a strong collaborative team who are always engaging and were a real joy to work with. I was glad that we could play a part in helping this great company on their digital journey.”
Nik Brown, Manufacturing Specialist
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