Business Issue A growing building supplies manufacturer was running out of room and wanted to convert warehouse space to make room for a new product line. The plan was to change from traditional pallet fork trucks and pallet racks to expensive Very Narrow Aisle lifts and racks at a cost of almost $500,000. This was a significant capital expenditure for a small business with annual revenues of $30 … [Read more...]
All Case Studies
More Product Orders Than Places to Build Them
Business Issue Our HIGH FLYING COMPANY LEAN JOURNEY began after our site experienced dismal performance results in Q4 2011. To paint a picture of the time, the Shreveport factory had more product orders to build than places to build them. In earnest to process all orders for customers, the cost structure started growing exponentially. We missed delivery expectations and lost customers. At the … [Read more...]
Long Lead-Times for Make-to-Stock/Make-to-Order Products
Business Issue A Flow Consulting client was experiencing long lead-times for both 'make-to-stock' and 'make-to-order' products that exceeded their competitors' lead-time performance. These issues negatively affected sales performance and growth. Approach Used Flow Consulting led the client in forming a cross-functional team that included sales, production, customer service, and planning. The … [Read more...]
Dramatic Safety Improvement Achieved
Business Issue Maintain a sustainable competitive advantage by creating an industry-leading behavior-based safety program (Behavioral Safety) for one of North America's largest industrial scaffolding service providers. They were looking for a way to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage by creating an industry-leading behavior-based safety (BBS) program. Previous BBS efforts had resulted … [Read more...]
Assimilated Acquisition Had Long Lead Times, Poor Delivery Performance, and High Labor Costs
Business Issue A Fortune 50 manufacturer of high-end electronic storage solutions assimilated a recent acquisition, and transferred the product into their existing production footprint. The product line had first time yields of less than 20%, long lead times, poor delivery performance, and high labor costs. This is a strategic, growing product line for the company. As a result of the poor … [Read more...]
Roll-Up of Companies Had Failed to Yield Cost Savings
Business Issue A mid-sized home-delivery provider of specialty consumer goods had acquired several businesses in adjacent markets resulting in multiple operations with degrees of overlap. The parent desired to have all its operations integrated and excess assets and personnel rationalized. The mandate was to complete analysis and planning within four weeks, begin implementation immediately after, … [Read more...]