SO DO PUBLIC TOURS
SOUND GOOD TO YOU?
Whether you’re expecting visitors, government officials or
potential investors, you should always be prepared to give quality
and effective plant tours. Here’s an overview of how to give a
positive experience with the highest level of safety in hand.
A VISIT STARTS BEFORE A VISIT: General
information about your company and tour should
be accessible online…and it should be done by
a professional factory visit web designer. A good
start would be to provide proper instructions online
for how to get to the factory.
DOUBLE (AND TRIPLE) CHECK COMPLIANCE
REGULATIONS: Before you allow anyone
into your facility, check to make sure all of your
operating equipment and machinery complies with
health regulations. You’ll want to verify safety and
environmental compliance, and make sure your
plant is in accordance with all of them.
APPEARANCE COUNTS: How a factory looks is
a proxy for how well-run the factory is – inside and
out. If it looks good, it probably is good. Cleanliness
also shows how attractive it is to work in the
factory, and it is fairly simple to ‘pimp my plant’.
EMPHASISE SAFETY: Nothing says ‘I care about
you’ more than a strong and visual focus on safety
in a factory. Safety info can be handed out at
reception, together with needed safety equipment
such as shoes, glasses, ear plugs and safety vests.
Some companies show a safety video, others
institute walking pathways. But remember…do
not elevate safety beyond sanity. If ear plugs aren’t
needed, they are annoying and a new safety risk,
as visitors can’t hear what is being said. Use good
judgement.
ORGANISE: Know where to start and where to
end. Either walk up the value stream or down the
value stream. Handing out a map of the layout and
tour route, and a feedback form for the plant’s own
improvement, are good practices.
USE THE RIGHT SPOKESPERSON: Finding
the right person to give your plant tour is key to
providing your visitors with a quality experience.
You want to choose someone who will engage
the audience, make the tour interesting, and also
be able to answer any questions the visitors might
have. Consider asking long-serving retired former
employees to do the job.
TELL YOUR STORY: Nothing should be more
straight forward than telling the fundamental story
of the plant; when and why did it start up, how
many employees work there today, what products
does it produce to which markets, is it a growing
or declining market, what are the prospects, why
is this the best plant in the world, and why is the
plant very happy to have visitors.
SHOW OFF WHAT YOU DO: Throughout the
tour, don’t be afraid to highlight what you and your
team do exceptionally well. Take the time to explain
innovations your plant has worked on and how you
do things differently than your competitors. This is
a time when it’s okay to tastefully brag about why
your plant does things better and how you’re at the
leading edge of your field.
INTRODUCE KEY TEAM MEMBERS
THROUGHOUT THE TOUR: Engage the team as
much as possible throughout. Identify and introduce
key players to your guests and explain their
role. Doing this will add a personal, human touch
to the plant tour experience and overall, will make
it more memorable. Also know that all employees
do not like to be on display every day. As far as
possible allow photos to be taken, but don’t turn it
into a photo safari.
DISPLAY YOUR PROBLEMS: A plant that
displays its problems also displays openness and
a serious strategy to become even better. White
boards with information about key performance
criteria—both good and bad—shows a healthy and
living management.
OFFER SUSTENANCE: It is fully okay not to offer
snacks or coffee, but because many plants do,
your plant could appear like ‘the uncle Scrooge of
manufacturing’. Free give-always have never hurt
a company’s reputation. A cost-benefit analysis
cannot be applied to subtle gestures like this.
DOCUMENT THE TOUR, IF APPROPRIATE: If
you’re giving a plant tour to a significant community
member, a government official or any other
public figure, arrange for someone to take photos
and/or capture video footage of the tour.
BE A GENEROUS HOST: Does your plant produce
a food or beverage that your guests can
sample? Anything you can do to make the
tour experience more authentic, the better. Distribute
product samples, look at prototypes, and
offer some sort of souvenir that embodies what
you manufacture.
BE UNIQUE: Do something that makes the factory
stand out from the crowd. How many factories
are there in the world, and why should the visitor
remember exactly yours? Don’t be a day-fly; stand
out!
ASK FOR QUESTIONS: Make sure you end
the tour in a quiet area so that your visitors can
also ask questions before they leave. Use a quiet
room or a space outside the plant itself to thank
your guests for coming and address any final
questions or concerns.
FOLLOW UP AFTER THE TOUR: Send your
visitors a thank-you email or text for taking a tour
of your plant.
22 FEBRUARY 2019