Find the problem. Fix it properly. Make it stick.

Lean & Process Improvement for Manufacturing and Healthcare

We help organisations cut waste, reduce delays and make improvements that last — backed by 20 years of hands-on delivery.

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Manufacturing

You’re losing time and money to delays, rework and inconsistent processes — and you need results, not a report.

We find exactly where your operation is bleeding value and fix it.

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Healthcare & Public Sector

You’re under pressure to reduce waiting times, cut costs and improve patient flow — without disrupting frontline teams.

We’ve done it before. We’ll do it with you.

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Real results. Measurable improvement.

Manufacturing

– Lead time reduced from 2 weeks to 14 minutes
– Supplier delivery improved from 2% to 68%
– WIP cut by 65% and floor space utilisation improved by 70%

healthcare

– £4.7M outpatient savings validated
– £8.9M No Criteria to Reside savings identified
– 500+ staff trained in improvement methodology

Every result delivered on-site, hands-on, with the team — not from a report.

Why organisations choose Almco…

We find the real problem

Most improvement attempts fail because they fix the symptom, not the cause. We dig deeper.

We fix it properly

No generic toolkits. No off-the-shelf solutions. Every intervention is built around your specific operation.

We make it stick

We work with your team, not around them — so the improvement holds long after we’ve left.

Our Services

Implementation Support

We don’t just advise — we deliver.
Working alongside your team to implement change that holds, realises improvement, not change that drifts.

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Consultancy

Every operation is different. We diagnose your specific problems and build solutions around your people, your processes and your constraints.

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Process Improvement

From lead time reduction to waste elimination, we’ve delivered measurable process improvement across manufacturing and healthcare for 20 years.

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FAQs

We bring something rare — 13 years of hands-on manufacturing experience combined with a decade-plus of Lean transformation in one of the most complex, people-intensive environments in the world: the NHS.

The operational pain points are strikingly similar: rising costs, pressure on margins, the need to do more with less, and workforces that need to be brought on the journey. The difference is that in healthcare, the commercial stakes couldn’t be higher and the need for genuine transformation has never been more urgent — and the same is now true for manufacturers.

Most consultants have experience in one world. We’ve operated in both, and that breadth is what makes our approach both credible and distinctive.

Most Lean programmes fail for one of two reasons: either the wrong tools are applied, or a plethora of tools are thrown at the problem which only adds complexity and makes things worse.

At Almco we have the experience to know which tool to apply, at the right time, to get the right result. But tools alone are never enough — if you can’t engage your people authentically, nothing sticks.

That’s where our experience across both manufacturing and the NHS is directly relevant. We don’t impose solutions; we build them with your people, using the right methodology at the right moment.

That’s what makes change sustainable.

That depends on your starting point — which is exactly why we always begin with a diagnostic. A fresh pair of eyes sees things that internal teams often can’t, precisely because they’re too close to the operation.

The diagnostic gives you a clear picture of where you are now, establishes a baseline to measure progress against, and identifies where to prioritise improvement for maximum impact. From there, clients typically see measurable improvements in throughput, reduction in defect rates, improved delivery performance and reduced waste.

More importantly, the changes are sustainable because your people have been part of shaping the solution from the start.

It depends on where you’re starting from and what you need to achieve.

A kaizen event targeting one specific area looks very different to a business-wide transformation programme.

What we always do is agree the scope, the expected outcomes, and the plan upfront — so you know exactly what you’re committing to before we start.

The diagnostic is usually the first step, and that shapes everything that follows.

Neither. And we mean that.

Telling you what to do ignores the fact that your people know your operation better than we ever will. Doing it for you is even worse — because ownership of change is one of the most critical factors in making improvement sustainable.

If your people haven’t been part of shaping the solution, it won’t last once we leave. Co-design isn’t a buzzword for us — it’s how we work.

We bring the methodology, the external perspective, and the structured approach. You bring the knowledge of your business. We do it together.

Absolutely — in fact it’s more important than ever. Technology and automation amplify what’s already there.

If your underlying processes are inefficient, automation simply makes you faster at doing the wrong thing.

The operational basics — reducing waste, increasing productivity, protecting margins — are the foundation that determines whether your technology investment delivers or disappears into an already inefficient operation.

Get the process right first, and your technology works harder. Skip that step, and you’ll be back to square one wondering why the investment didn’t deliver.

Because you get senior, hands-on expertise from day one.

Direct access to someone with over 30 years hands-on process improvement expertise, a track record of delivering transformation at scale through management consultancies including Deloitte, Capita and specialist Lean boutiques, and a bespoke approach built entirely around your business.

We’re not here to run a methodology at you.

We’re here to understand your specific challenges, identify where the real opportunities are, and deliver results that are visible, measurable and sustainable.

Ready to get started?

Book a free 30-minute consultation. We’ll listen to what’s happening in your operation, ask the right questions and tell you honestly whether we can help.

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No commitment. No jargon. Just a straight conversation.