BMI Netherlands: mapping the production process with PFMEA

At the BMI Netherlands roof tile factory in Woerden, people have worked based on experience for years. Not a single production process was documented. With an ERP migration and staff turnover approaching, this became a risk.

Symbol proposed a Process FMEA and provided an interim consultant to map the entire production process from clay to roof tile. Result: full process documentation as a basis for onboarding, training, and quality assurance.

Challenge

Production process completely undocumented, risk during staff turnover

Approach

FMEA conducted by an interim consultant from Symbol

Result

Fully documented production process from clay to roof tile

About BMI Netherlands

BMI Netherlands is part of BMI Group (Monier, Icopal), a global manufacturer and supplier of roofing systems for pitched and flat roofs. BMI Group was formed in 2017 through the merger of Braas Monier and Icopal, making it the largest producer of roofing systems in Europe. The location in Woerden produces concrete roof tiles and is a traditional production environment where employees bring years of professional expertise. Plant Manager Ron Blokland wants to transform the organisation from an experience-based factory into a process-technology factory.

The challenge

The production process at BMI Netherlands in Woerden had never been put on paper. Employees worked based on years of experience, but that knowledge was not recorded anywhere. This created three specific risks: knowledge left the organisation when employees departed, an upcoming ERP migration required documented processes, and the transformation to a process-technology factory was impossible without a structured description of the current situation.

Plant Manager Ron Blokland had the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt knowledge himself but lacked the capacity to handle an assignment of this scale independently.

Our approach

Symbol recommended a Process FMEA as a methodology: a structured risk analysis per process step that not only documents the process but also immediately identifies vulnerabilities. An interim consultant performed the PFMEA on the shop floor.

What was actually done:

Followed the product from clay to roof tile
Drafted process flows
Performed PFMEA
Wrote out procedures

“You can only improve once agreements have been recorded and secured.”

Results

Metric	Before	After	Improvement
Production process documentation	Not present	Fully documented	Secured
Risk analysis per process step	No insight	PFMEA fully developed	Insight created
Onboarding material for new employees	Not available	Procedures written out	Ready for use
Knowledge retention during staff turnover	Vulnerable	Recorded and transferable	Structural

From experience-based factory to documented production process
The PFMEA not only records how the process works, but also where the risks lie and what measures are required. This forms the basis for quality improvement, onboarding, and the upcoming ERP migration.

Lessons learned

An experience-based factory is vulnerable. Knowledge that only resides in people disappears as soon as those people leave. BMI Netherlands demonstrates that documenting processes is not just a quality requirement but also a strategic necessity during growth, transformation, and system migrations.

The second insight: choosing the right methodology makes the difference. Ron Blokland initially thought a PFMEA was excessive for his situation, but the methodology proved to be a perfect fit. An external party that looks beyond the original request brings solutions that are not easily conceived internally.

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Do you recognise this in your organisation?

Process knowledge that only exists in people’s heads. A migration or transformation that requires documented processes. No capacity to handle this internally.

Symbol helps you map and secure processes using the right methodology. Contact us for a non-binding consultation.

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