Client Success: Process Improvement
Action Floor Systems Begins Lean Journey
Services: Lean Certification Training, 5S Events, Value Stream Mapping
Results:
- Increased productivity by 50%
- Increased floor space by 750 sq. ft.
- Reduced transportation and storage time
- Saved $7800/year in labor costs
- Created a more flexible work area
Services: 5S Visual Systems
Results:
- Significantly improved general housekeeping throughout the entire plant
- Increased efficiencies with gage tables and work benches
- $100,000 in savings associated with worker's compensation YTD due to increased safety
- Increased employee involvement
Services: Six Kaizen Events
Results:
- Reduced 200 Series line size by 42%
- Reduced packing block travel distance by 71%
- Reduced carton pick time by 24%
- Increased accuracy of carton pick by 50%
- Reduced part presentation cart floor space from 146 sq. ft. to 100 sq. ft.
- Developed staffing plan playbook to handle fluctuations in demand
- Reduced number of decisions for picking carton types
- Reduced line side inventory from 20 parts to zero parts
- Set up FIFO for part presentation carts
Services: Lean Certification Training, Lean Accounting, Strategic Planning
Results:
- Increased usable floor space by 6,000 sq. ft.
- Increased weekly production from 4 scrapers to 5 scrapers without adding staff
- Sales increased from $1.2 million to $10 million
- Increased pride and ownership of work areas
- Increased employee comfort level in discussing production bottlenecks
Atlas Resin Proppants Believes Good People are Key
Services: Lean Training, Facilitation of Improvement Teams
Results:
- Achieved a waste reduction of 2%
- 60 new employees trained to understand Lean and Continuous Improvement
- Reduced mixer cleaning time by 40 minutes per cleaning
Services: Implement Flow Manufacturing with a Pull Kanban System for Inventory
Results:
- Lead time reduced by 50%
- Stock outs reduced dramatically
- Product line sales increased 5%
- Significant reduction in assembly labor time
- High improvement in product quality
Services: Principles of Lean Workshop, Value Stream Mapping, 5S, Design and Implementation
Results:
- Sales increased by $2,000,000
- Labor costs reduced by $250,000
- Inventory reduced by $100,000
- Lead time reduced by 12 days
- Other costs reduced by $10,000
Services: Value Stream Mapping
Results:
- Sales increased more than 40% (only 10-15% would have been possible without the project)
- Lead time was reduced by more than 50%
- Inventory costs were significantly reduced
- Productivity increased significantly
- Equipment costs reduced
- Flexibility increased
- Value Stream Mapping is used to make additional improvements in the plant and to design a new facility layout in a neighboring city
Cardinal Glass Sees Lean Rewards Clearly
Services: Lean Certification Training, Lean Workshops, Value Stream Mapping, 5S, Total Productive Maintenance
Results:
- Increased square footage of stock output by 34%
- Reduced WIP at all resources by over 50%
- Increased accuracy in production scheduling
- Reduced days of raw glass inventory by 66%
- Reduced days of interlayer inventory by 63%
- Successful doubling of sales in 2005-2006
- Realized $215,000 in cost savings
- Reduced wait time for packing/inspection process from 17 hours to 4 hours
- Established new Lean Performance Metrics
- Stock through-put increases required no capital expenditures
Services: Principles of Lean, Value Stream Mapping
Results:
- Cycle time in the greeting card line was reduced from 2.2 hours to 7 minutes
- Reduced floor space of greeting card line by 40%
- Approach is being applied to six other production areas
Services: Lean 101, Value Stream Mapping, 5S Implementation
Results:
- Created a more orderly work environment
- Increased productivity
- Gained employee enthusiasm
- Reduced inventory by 5%
- Raised employee satisfaction levels
- Increased cash flow
- Retained 5 full-time employees
- Invested over $50,000 in employee training
Custom Urethane Improves Productivity and Profit
Services: Kanban System Implementation
Results:
- Reduction in unit labor costs generated savings of $104,000
- Inventory reduced by $15,000
- Lead time was reduced by 6 days
- Material costs were reduced by $5,000 per yer as a result of making more efficient use of the curing ovens
- Floor space requirements were reduced by 3000 sq. ft.
- Employees became more open to change as they observed the benefits of the project
- Company moved from losing money to making a profit
Services: Value Stream Mapping and Implementation, Current State Mapping -- Future State Mapping
Results:
- Reduced lead time 64% from 4 weeks to 2.5 weeks
- Reduced cycle time by 99% from 3 days to 11 minutes
- Increased sales by 3% in 2006; 37% growth in 4 years
- Reduced cutting-to-shipping time 76% from 8 days to 2 days
- Increased market share
Services: Lean with Legos, Value Stream Mapping
Results:
- Reduced remakes by 42% (saved $30,000 in 5 months)
- Reduced quality calls by 87%
- Reduced turnaround time by 33%
- Increased ease of prioritizing and scheduling cases
- Reduced work-in-process from 470 to 160 cases
- Reduced overtime hours (saved $20,000 in 12 months)
- Improved employee morale
- Reinforced hiring of an Operations Manager
Services: Principles of Lean Seminars (6), Value Stream Map, Flow Manufacturing Implementation
Results:
- Reduced lead time from 40 days to 6 days
- Reduced material costs by $70,000
- Reduced inventory by $100,000
- Part travel through the factory for the selected product was significantly reduced
- Received big boost in employee morale
Durex Products, Inc.
Services: Lean 101, Quick Changeover, 5S Events
Results:
- Increased on-time shipments from 89% to 92%
- Increased production floor space by 460 sq. ft. (1.5%)
- Reduced non-value-added steps (walking) by 13,126 ft/week
- Eliminated 536 forklift movements by adding lift table
- Sold 30,000 lbs. of scrap metal from unneeded rack that was disassembled
- 0.3 sq. ft./hour improvement in crimping department
Empire Bucket, Inc. Begins Lean Journey
Services: 2 Principles of Lean Workshops, 5S Workplace Organization
Projected Results:
- Increase annual sales by $520,000
- Add 4 new jobs
- Retain $300,000 in sales
- Cost savings of $150,000 in labor, $40,000 in materials, $4,000 in Energy
Services: Principles of Lean, Value Stream Mapping, Cellular Flow Implementation
Results:
- Increased sales
- Significant decrease in labor required
- Inventory reduced by $48,000
- Lead time was reduced by 47%
- Required floor space reduced by 1000 sq. ft.
- Essentially reduced expediting costs to $0
Field Logic Hunts Lean Success
Services: Principles of Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Value Stream Mapping, E!WW, A3 Problem Solving, Total Productive Maintenance, Simulation
Results:
- Increased production in Block® Target division by 20%
- Improved Hurricane™ Target layout by 30%
- Require increased quality from supply chain vendors
- Experienced cost savings of $65,000
- Increased investments by $28,500
- Use specialized recycled materials to fill bag targets
FM Enterprises
Services: Value Stream Mapping, 5S Visual Workplace Organization, Capacity Analysis, Plant Layout
Results:
- Reduced overall customer lead time by 40%, even more for change orders
- Lowered manufacturing costs by 50% for one product line
- Reduced stress with better organization and workflow
Services: Lean Manufacturing, Plant Layout, Strategic Planning, 5S, Value Stream Mapping, Standard Work Procedures
Results:
- Through-put time reduced for each home by 35%
- Productivity improved by 15%, resulting in 15% increased sales
- Improved predictability of delivery schedules
- Employee involvement in improvements increased to 100%
- Improved quality
- Gainsharing plan put in place utilizing new measures
- Investments to increase competitiveness to exceed $100,000
- Two additional jobs were created, and 14 more secured
Services: Lean 101, Value Stream Mapping, 5S Implementation, Cellular Flow
Results:
- Reduced lead time by >39%
- Reduced cycle time by >42% of processing time
- Improved profits
- Increased cash flow
- Increased market share
Services: 
Results:
- Creation of 4 jobs
- Plan to add more jobs in next 12 months
- Projected annual sales increase of $50,000
- Cost savings of $20,500
Handishop Industries Keeps Tools Handy
Services: Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Value Stream Mapping
Results:
- Increased client productivity by 20%
- Increased throughput 30 to 50%
- Cost savings of $4,000 in labor and materials
- Increased production floor space by 25%
- Improved employee and client morale
- Cost savings of $15,000 in energy, overhead, and other areas
Services: Cellular Plant Layout with Flow Seminars
Results:
- 2 day process reduced by 50%
- Reduced loading time 1.5 hours per truck per day
- Increased from 71 pieces to 83 pieces per hour
- Reduced number of processing steps
- Increased value added activity
J&D Tube Benders Bent on Lean Success
Services: Principles of Lean, Value Stream Mapping, Quick Changeover, 5S Events, Business Coaching
Results:
- Increased production floor capacity by 14,000 sq. ft.
- Increased throughput 10 to 20%
- Reduced travel path to bender by 400 ft.
- Reduced changeover time on one bender by 25%
- Reduced changeover time on another bender by 42%
Johnson Electric Coil Celebrates Record Year on Lean Journey
Services: Lean Implementation, Lean Certification of 16 Employees
Results:
- Increased payroll by $800,000 annually
- Improved safety; saving $50,000/year on premiums
- Increased annual wages 13% on average
- Awarded 8% bonus in addition to wages
- Increased profits by 160% over last year
- Increased productivity by 15% over last year
MarquipWardUnited: A Barry-Wehmiller Company
Services: Lean Certificate Training, 5S, Value Stream Mapping, Quick Changeover, Total Productive Maintenance, Cellular Flow
Results:
- Increased productivity by 20%
- Reduced razor tooling floor space by 25%
- Reduced machine changeover by 50%
- Reduced circuit test travel path by 49%
- Decreased knife stiffener set-up time by 75%
- Reduced month-end closing time in accounting by 25%
- Eliminated 21 non-value-added accounting activities
- Reduced custodial storage areas by 50%
- Reduced motor shop batch sizes by 88%
- Reduced travel path in motor areas by 93%
Services: Lean Overview with Legos, 5S Events, Value Stream Mapping, Cellular Flow
Results:
- Decreased work in process by 84%
- Decreased travel distances by 73%
- Reduced cart weight from 2 tons to 500 lbs.
- Achieved goal of completing each job in 4 hours or less
- Gained 30% production floor space
- Cost savings of $100,000+
- Reduced supplier monthly invoices from 100 to 40
Mastercraft Cleans House and Goes Lean
Services: 5S Events, Value Stream Mapping
Results:
- Reduced two set-up times by 50%
- Increased production time
- Decreased floor space requirements by 15%
- Reduced order processing time from 16 days to 4.25 days (73%)
- Improved employee morale
Services: Enterprise Business Transformation Planning Process, Value Stream Mapping, Plant Layout, Cellular Design
Results:
- Lead time reduced by 50% and more
- Annual cost savings of $200,000
- Productivity increased
- Avoided $800,000 in unnecessary investments
- Reduced parts travel distance by over 50%
Services: Organizational Development, Change Management, Strategic Planning, Standardized Processes
Results:
- Implemented a new bid process
- Created responsibility changes that resulted in a 50% increase in design engineer's time
- Created a new organization structure
- Developed a 5-point strategic plan
- Implemented visual management systems in the tool room
Services: Lean Manufacturing Overview and Simulation, Lean Value Stream Mapping
Results:
- Reduced processing lead time by 50%
- Improved profit margin 10 to 15%
- Reduced WIP inventory from 30 days to 6 days
- Increased market share
- Reduced defect rate
- Increased cash flow
- Retained 13 employees and added 3 employees
- Increased sales per employee 20 to 25%
Services: Value Stream Mapping, Culture of Continuous Improvement, 5S Visual Workplace
Results:
- Productivity improved
- Reduction in heating costs
- Improved profit margin
- Better utilization of floor space
- More employee involvement
- Increased morale and pride
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC)
Services: Value Stream Mapping of Admissions Process
Results:
- Decreased admission notification from 14 days to 2 days
- Decreased files accessed from 11 to 6
- Decreased paperwork time from 9 days to 1 day
- Increased mailing of matriculation letters from twice a week to daily
Services: Strategy Planning, Milestone Scheduling System, Lean Training, 5S/Visual Systems
Results:
- Implemented a vendor-managed inventory system that eliminates 95% of stock-outs and saves time
- Developed a scheduling system to enable control of intermediate production milestones that increased quality, reduced costs, and significantly improved on-time delivery
- 5S Workplace Organization reduced foot travel within the production areas by 240 hours annually and cleaned up the work areas that show well to visiting clients
- Increased productivity by 10%