World-beating Formula One racing brand McLaren recently opened the doors of its Technology Centre in Woking to another group of Santander Masterclass delegates. The creator of world-class performance road cars and a global leader in the use of Big Data to test, analyse and create ever more impressive results across a wealth of different sectors, McLaren is hard to beat for advice and inspiration aimed at fast-growing businesses. Unsurprisingly, the following three delegates came away from the event their heads spinning with new business ideas.
James Merritt, Director of Merritts Machinery Logistics
As the head of a global machinery logistics business, James knows all about the importance of maintaining standards while meeting tight deadlines. He was therefore especially keen to hear from McLaren’s Head of Vehicle Engineering Mark Williams, who gave a talk about how his company achieve optimal performance on race days. “He explained how the Formula One team works to a rolling deadline every two weeks,” explains James. “I took out of that that we need to be more proactive on deadlines with our senior team.”
“We’re a family business and we’re pretty successful,” he adds. “We’re growing and we have good support from Santander, but businesses can get a bit complacent if they’re not careful. I learned that we need to be more proactive to grow the business faster.”
James also appreciated an afternoon presentation from Geoff McGrath, Managing Director of McLaren Applied Technologies, which has taken the technological advances of Formula One and used it to find solutions to problems in other fields and sectors. “It’s almost as if they [McLaren] pick customers rather than the other way around,” says James. “People go to Mr McGrath and bid for his time. [McLaren] don’t take on projects to which they can’t add value.”
"... the Formula One team works to a rolling deadline every two weeks. I took out of that that we need to be more proactive on deadlines with our senior team.” James Merritt, Director of Merritts Machinery LogisticsJames left the Masterclass with a clearer idea of the benefits of a focused rather than scattershot approach. “We want to take on customers who can see the value in what we do,” he says. “This is better than simply casting the net far and wide.” Chris Young, Managing Director of RA Labone & Co. Chris’s company produces plastic and metal components for the automotive industry, making the McLaren Masterclass a particularly relevant case study. What struck Chris most of all about his visit was witnessing first-hand McLaren’s attention to detail, a useful confirmation of his own company’s focus on first-class standards of manufacture. “They spend a lot of time on every aspect of the product,” he says. “It was impressive to see the planning and the execution of everything.” “My highlight was walking into the area where they were building the cars,” says Chris, an avowed fan of motor-racing. “I actually didn’t think we’d be able to see it face-to-face and it was a spectacular sight.” Jason Yeomans, founder and CEO of PMGC Technology Group Jason runs a successful technology firm that focuses on leveraging existing and emerging technologies for his customers, enabling their employees to become more efficient. So it comes as no surprise that he wanted to learn how McLaren unifies its workforce under a single vision. “I’ve always talked about putting the customer at the very forefront of what we do,” says Jason. “McLaren has done that and I’m convinced it’s down to a clear understanding throughout the company of why they exist, that shared vision to win. It’s about being the best you can be, whether you’re part of the race team or the Applied Technology team.” He adds, “It’s a major challenge to get everyone aligned and understanding why the business exists, why they come to work and what they are there to achieve, individually, but more importantly, as a team. You start with your purpose long before you get into the ‘what we do’. If every employee is aligned and one of your objectives is to provide not only excellent solutions but the best, then that’s what happens. The solution, the profit, the success is all an outcome.” Since attending the Masterclass, Jason has adopted a key McLaren strategy. “’Discovery, Design and Delivery’, a 3D approach is something we have adopted from McLaren Applied Technologies and used in our own process map,” he says. “It’s so much simpler than what we had before, and that clarity means we can focus on doing it better each time.”
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