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Change management consultant
for manufacturing and logistics

New systems, processes and ways of working introduced with training and adoption planned from the start, for manufacturing, logistics and automotive businesses across Yorkshire and the Midlands.

Scale

Single teams to whole sites

Scope

Planning to adoption

Working pattern

On site and remote

For changes that need to stick

The new system is live but the old workarounds are back

Systems, processes and site moves can land on time and still fail. Teams drift back to old tools and workarounds when training is rushed, roles are unclear and no one owns adoption after go-live.

Change management plans the people side from the start, so the new way of working is still in use long after launch.

Signs a change needs managing

  • Old spreadsheets and workarounds still in use
  • A go-live date set before training is planned
  • Teams unsure of new roles or processes
  • Adoption varying across shifts or sites
Warehouse operative scanning stock with a handheld scanner and tablet beside pallet racking

Business and organisational change management

One accountable lead across systems, processes and people, from first plan to full adoption.

Change planning

Impact on each team, shift and site assessed, then sequenced around the running operation.

System implementation

ERP, SAP, WMS and other system rollouts run on the business side, alongside the software partner.

Legacy system migration

Data, processes and users moved off legacy systems in planned stages, with no loss of continuity.

Training and adoption

Training planned by role and shift, with adoption tracked until the new way of working is the norm.

Process and SOP change

New processes and SOPs written with the people who use them, so they match how the work is done.

Stakeholder engagement

Leaders, supervisors and operators kept informed, with concerns acted on early.

How each change is managed

Assess

Scope, impact and readiness agreed with the operation before anything changes.

Plan

Training, communication and cutover planned around shifts, output and the go-live date.

Roll out

The change introduced in stages, with issues logged and resolved as teams start using it.

Embed

Adoption tracked and support kept in place until the new way of working holds on its own.

Change management in practice

Case study

Legacy system migration and adoption

Change lead for an established engineering team moving off legacy software onto a modern platform aligned with ISO standards, with training and new processes embedded so the change held.

Work covered

Software migration, training, process redesign and user adoption, aligned to ISO 19650

100%

Team adoption

5+

New contracts won

3 years

Continued client relationship

ISO 19650

Standard adopted

Ways to work together

Change management is available three ways, from a fixed fee diagnostic to a rolling interim role.

Operational diagnostic

An independent review of the operation, with a written action plan showing the causes and what to fix.

3 days

Reviewing your operation

£2,450

Fixed fee, no extras

Scoped engagement

A defined piece of work with an agreed outcome, such as a fit-out, relocation or system rollout.

Months

Defined outcome

Project fee

Set by project complexity

Interim change manager

A change manager on a rolling basis, owning the rollout while a programme runs or a post is filled.

Rolling

Monthly term

Day rate

Set by role and complexity

Change management questions

What does a change management consultant do?

A change management consultant leads the people side of a change: who it affects, how they are trained and how the new way of working is adopted and kept. It runs alongside the system, process or site change itself, so the change is used as intended after go-live. Operion Group provides this as an independent change management company for manufacturing, logistics and automotive businesses.

What is the difference between business and organisational change management?

The terms often overlap. Business change management usually refers to a specific change, such as a new system, process or site. Organisational change management covers wider shifts in structure, roles and culture. Both depend on people understanding the change and adopting it, which is where most of the work sits.

Can a change manager be brought in for a single rollout?

Yes. Change management support can be scoped around one system or process change. For longer programmes, an interim change manager can own the rollout on a rolling monthly term or cover a post until it is filled.

What size and type of change is covered?

Anything from one team moving to a new system or process to a rollout across several sites. That includes legacy system migrations, ERP and WMS go-lives, new processes, new SOPs and site moves across manufacturing, logistics and automotive.

Can this support an ERP, SAP or WMS implementation?

Yes, as the implementation project manager on the business side. The software partner configures the system, while readiness, user acceptance testing, data migration, training and cutover are run with the operation. That covers ERP and SAP implementations in manufacturing and warehouse management system implementations in logistics.

How long does a change management engagement last?

As long as the change takes to embed. Scoped engagements run from planning to adoption with an agreed end point, while interim roles run on a rolling monthly term.

How is change management priced?

Scoped engagements are priced as a project fee, set by complexity and agreed before work starts. Interim roles are charged at an agreed day rate. The operational diagnostic is a fixed £2,450.

Where is the work carried out?

Work follows a hybrid approach, on site across Yorkshire and the Midlands from Leeds and Sheffield to Nottingham, Derby and Birmingham, with planning and reporting carried out remotely between visits. Businesses further afield are welcome too, with site visits and remote work planned to suit the project.

Can change management run alongside other work?

Yes. Many changes sit inside a larger piece of work, such as a site relocation or a new production line. Change management can run alongside project delivery, or support operational transformation where new processes need to hold.

Get in touch

Planning a system rollout or a change that isn’t sticking? Describe it and get a clear view of how it could be managed.

Or reach out directly