Opal is driving large performance gains with its Manufacturing Excellence (MEx) programme, a system that empowers frontline operators to define their own performance goals and outline how to achieve them.

Traditional improvement methods rely on a top-down approach where targets are set by leadership and cascaded down the organisation. Opal’s MEx programme shifts this dynamic by entrusting those on the frontline to identify performance improvements.

“Our frontline teams possess deep operational knowledge and a direct line of sight to daily challenges and opportunities,” said Jacob Chretien, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Opal.

“By empowering our people to set their own targets in consultation with the business, we unlock higher employee engagement, faster problem resolution, and more resilient gains.”

This approach is already yielding impressive results across sites in Australia and New Zealand. A prime example is Opal Regency Park in South Australia which has embraced MEx principles to drive significant operational and cultural transformation.

Regency Park: A case study in manufacturing excellence

At Opal’s site in Regency Park, South Australia, MEx contributed to a major turnaround in performance, starting from an on time, in full delivery score of 58 per cent to more than 99 per cent within a nine-month period.

Site Manager Matt Mcarthur attributes these results to a deliberate focus on hiring staff with a strong track record of accountability rather than purely technical skills.

“Operators take a lead role in continuous improvement including ways to minimise planned downtime, communicate site performance, and drive preventative maintenance strategies to increase the run time of our assets,” Mcarthur said.

“It has supported seamless product transfers from other sites, driven material efficiencies, and helped maximise floor space”.

Regency Park also engaged local suppliers to secure cost reductions and supply chain improvements, generating substantial savings and strengthening local partnerships. For example, waste ink disposal costs fell by more than 70 per cent with addition savings generated through smarter supply arrangements.

By moving from top-down directives to a model based on enablement and ownership, Regency Park has not only improved its operational performance, but it has also strengthened engagement across its workforce.

 (Left to right): Regency Park team members Sam-Arth Chimm, Terry Hurst, Shane Jones, Christina Whitaker, Stewart Gluche, Pippa Illman and Matt McArthur.

Positioning for the future

In a market where expectations around operational agility and cost-effectiveness are increasing, Opal’s MEx system empowers those closest to the business to choose the opportunities worth pursuing, delivering stronger returns, fueling customer growth, and upholding best-in-class safety.

Since the phased rollout began in 2024, plants running MEx have lifted overall equipment effectiveness by an average 13 percentage points, cut unplanned downtime by 27 per cent, and reduced material waste by 15 per cent.

Daily huddles led by operators turn live production data into 24-hour improvement targets, while a digital action board feeds real-time issues to engineering and supply-chain teams. The result is faster decision-making, shorter change-over times, and a self-funding pipeline of machine-level enhancements.

While the sector races toward advanced manufacturing, Opal is also leveraging its MEx programme to pinpoint opportunities in artificial intelligence, steer automation projects, and lift the effectiveness of the assets they run.

By embedding ownership and continuous improvement at ground level, Opal is setting a new benchmark for manufacturing excellence—one that puts people at the centre while unlocking the full potential of smart technologies on the production floor.